President Trump said he could have done “bad things” to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as well as former Presidents Obama and Biden, but chose not to out of respect for the office of the presidency.
The president made the remarks when asked what Democrats would impeach him for if the party wins back the House and the Senate in November.
“I could have done very bad things to Hillary Clinton. I could have done very, very bad things to Joe Biden,” Trump said.
He went on to name a third Democrat.
“I could have done very bad things to Barack Hussein Obama. I thought it was inappropriate to do so because you have to treat the office of the presidency with respect,” Trump said, describing the presidency as “sacred.”
The president also told reporters that Democrats do not know what they would impeach him for if they retake Congress in the midterms.
Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., have warned Republican voters that Democrats will move to impeach the president if they win in November, making the issue a key part of the GOP’s message heading into the midterm elections.
Trump has been through the impeachment process before. He was impeached twice during his first term in office.
The first impeachment came in response to a phone call with Ukrainian President Zelensky, during which Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate Biden.
Trump was impeached a second time following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
Now, with control of Congress on the line, the president is making clear he believes Democrats lack a basis for a third attempt. At the same time, he is pointing to his own restraint toward his political rivals, saying he held back on Clinton, Obama and Biden because of the respect he believes the presidency deserves.
The question of whether Democrats would pursue impeachment again could hinge on the outcome in November, when voters will decide whether the party wins back the House and the Senate.
