Washington: US President Donald Trump has said Democrats would "probably try and impeach me" if they regain control of Congress, even as he defended his administration's record on tariffs, immigration enforcement and crime, which he described as achievements of a "record-setting" year in office.
In an interview with Fox News host Will Cain, Trump said history suggested presidents often lose seats during midterm elections regardless of performance. "Even presidents, whether it's Republican or Democrat, when they win, it doesn't make any difference; they seem to lose the midterms," he said, adding that potential losses in Congress were his main concern.
Asked what he expected if Democrats took control of the House or Senate, Trump replied that impeachment efforts would likely follow. "Well, they'll probably try and impeach me," he said, claiming his political opponents would "find something," as they had previously. Trump was impeached twice during his earlier presidency but was acquitted both times. "I won the impeachments very easily and quickly," he said.
Trump argued that his administration's policies had produced unprecedented economic results. He claimed the US had attracted "$18 trillion coming into the country," resulting in new factories and business expansion. "There's never been any country that has done what we've done," he said, attributing the growth to tariffs and trade pressure on foreign companies.
On public safety, Trump repeated claims that the US was experiencing historically low crime rates. He said federal enforcement actions had helped reduce crime in cities such as Minneapolis, Washington, DC, Memphis and New Orleans. "We took thousands of hardened criminals out," he said, crediting law enforcement efforts for the decline.
Immigration enforcement, Trump said, remained the most challenging issue facing his administration, even after what he described as closing the southern border. "Inflation we've solved - it's done," he said. "The hardest thing to solve is when you have people brought into the country, and you have to take those people out." He blamed the previous administration's border policies for allowing criminals into the US.
Addressing recent tensions in Minnesota, Trump said the situation was "easily resolved" and denied that federal authorities had retreated. He said he had spoken with state and local leaders, describing the conversations as positive and cooperative. "It couldn't have been a nicer conversation," he said, adding that officials wanted to resolve the matter quickly.
Trump defended immigration enforcement officials, praising former border czar Tom Homan and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. "Who closed up the border? She did with Tom Homan," he said.
On tariffs, Trump said they were "indispensable towards success," claiming the US had collected $600 billion in tariff revenue. He said the funds enabled the government to provide financial assistance to farmers, including $12 billion in recent aid. Acknowledging farmers' concerns, Trump said the benefits of tariffs would become clearer over time.
Asked about a potential Supreme Court ruling against his tariff policy, Trump said his administration would pursue alternative methods to achieve similar outcomes. He also highlighted foreign policy achievements, claiming his administration had "ended eight wars" and was working to resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict. (IANS)
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