Senator Ted Cruz has warned that Democrats will bring "two years of relentless impeachment" after winning both chambers of Congress in the November 3, 2026 midterm elections. The Ted Cruz impeachment warning, made on the Polymarket All In podcast and reported on Wednesday, November 4, predicts that President Donald Trump could be impeached by the House not once, but several times, before the next presidential election.

Cruz, a Texas Republican and one of Trump's most prominent Senate allies, said: "I believe the House will impeach Donald Trump if they have the House. They may impeach him multiple times." He also predicted subpoenas and investigations aimed at Trump, his family and his Cabinet, and said he expects an impeachment of Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth in the lame-duck session before the new Congress takes office in January 2027.

Key Points

• Senator Ted Cruz warned on the Polymarket All In podcast, reported November 4, 2026, that Democrats taking Congress will bring "two years of relentless impeachment".
• Cruz said: "I believe the House will impeach Donald Trump if they have the House. They may impeach him multiple times."
• He predicted subpoenas and investigations targeting Trump, his family and Cabinet members, and a lame-duck impeachment of Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.
• Cruz also predicted Senate Democrats under Chuck Schumer would halt judicial confirmations, keeping any Supreme Court vacancy open for two years.
• Prediction markets moved sharply: Polymarket put Trump's chance of impeachment before June 1, 2027 at about 60%, up from 40.4% early on November 3.

What Happened

Cruz spoke as Washington absorbed the scale of the Democratic victory. Democrats won the House and Senate on November 3, ending unified Republican control and setting up two years of divided government before the 2028 presidential election. Cruz framed the result not as a routine change of majority, but as the start of a sustained confrontation between the new Democratic Congress and the White House.

His central claim was blunt: a Democratic House will use impeachment as a recurring tool rather than a last resort. Cruz served in the Senate through both of Trump's first-term impeachments. Democrats have already signalled sweeping oversight of the Trump family's business interests, the Epstein files and the Iran war, as reported in our coverage of the Democrats' planned investigations after winning Congress.

He also looked to the lame-duck session, the weeks before the new Congress is sworn in on January 3, 2027. "I expect in the lame duck we will see an impeachment of Pete Hegseth," Cruz said. That overlaps with a live effort already under way: Republican Representative Thomas Massie plans to force a House vote on impeaching Hegseth next week, as detailed in our report on the looming Hegseth impeachment vote.

Background: Two Impeachments, No Convictions

Trump is the only president in American history to have been impeached twice by the House and acquitted both times in the Senate: in December 2019 over his dealings with Ukraine, and in January 2021 over the January 6 attack on the Capitol. In both cases the Senate fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to convict and remove him, and he returned to the White House after winning the 2024 election.

That history matters for Cruz's prediction. Impeachment in the House requires only a simple majority, which Democrats will hold in the new Congress, so a House majority can impeach even when conviction is unlikely. Conviction still requires 67 Senate votes, a threshold Democrats do not hold even after their midterm gains. That gap is why Cruz's warning is best read as a prediction about House politics, not a forecast of removal.

Ted Cruz Impeachment Warning: What It Signals for 2027

Cruz's remarks set out how Republicans intend to frame the next two years: as a period in which a Democratic Congress uses impeachment to paralyse a Republican presidency, rather than to legislate.

The prediction about the courts is part of the same argument. Cruz said Senate Democrats under Chuck Schumer would halt all judicial confirmations, adding that if a Supreme Court vacancy arose "they'll keep the vacancy open for two years". Prediction markets have priced in that scenario: Polymarket put impeachment before June 1, 2027 at about 60%, up from 40.4% early on November 3.

Reactions and Quotes

Cruz's own words are the centre of the story. "I believe the House will impeach Donald Trump if they have the House. They may impeach him multiple times," he said. On oversight, he predicted subpoenas and investigations targeting "Trump, his family and Cabinet members". And on Hegseth, he said plainly: "I expect in the lame duck we will see an impeachment of Pete Hegseth."

Those remarks contrast with the tone struck by Democratic leaders since the election. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, expected to become Speaker in January 2027, told reporters on November 4 that impeachment was not a priority, saying: "I haven't had a single member of the House Democratic Caucus talk to me about impeachment." That statement, covered in our report on Jeffries saying impeachment is not a priority, shows the gap between what Republicans predict Democrats will do and what Democratic leaders say they plan to do.

Why It Matters

If Cruz is right, the next two years will be dominated by impeachment politics. Impeachment proceedings consume committee time, crowd out legislation and force every member of Congress to take a public position. They also shape 2028: a repeatedly impeached president enters his final two years under a cloud, while Democrats risk seeming focused on Trump, not prices and jobs.

What Happens Next

The immediate test comes in the lame-duck session. Massie's planned vote on Hegseth will show whether impeachment can command a House majority before the new Congress even takes office. The larger test comes in January 2027, when the new Democratic Congress is sworn in, committee chairs are chosen and the first subpoenas are issued. If articles follow quickly, Cruz's warning will look prescient; if leaders hold to Jeffries's line, it will look like political framing.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Ted Cruz actually predict?

Cruz predicted "two years of relentless impeachment", saying the House may impeach Trump multiple times, and he also predicted subpoenas, investigations and a lame-duck impeachment of Pete Hegseth.

Has Donald Trump been impeached before?

Yes, twice: in December 2019 over Ukraine and in January 2021 over January 6. The Senate acquitted him both times, as conviction requires a two-thirds Senate majority.

Could a Democratic House actually remove Trump?

The House can impeach with a simple majority, but removal requires 67 Senate votes. Democrats do not hold that many seats, so conviction and removal remain unlikely even if the House votes to impeach.

What did the prediction markets do after the midterms?

Polymarket put Trump's chance of impeachment before June 1, 2027 at about 60%, up from 40.4% early on November 3, and the odds by the end of 2027 rose from about 20% to about 49%.

Do Democratic leaders agree with Cruz's prediction?

Not so far. Hakeem Jeffries said on November 4 that no House Democratic Caucus member had talked to him about impeachment and that it was not a priority, though oversight and investigations are planned.