A Republican politician has predicted a possible premature end to Donald Trump’s presidency.
The bombshell claim was made on Wednesday (25 Feb) during a live TV interview between Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and Newsmax.
During the discussion, the upcoming 2026 midterm elections in November were brought up, which political commentators have also deemed absolutely critical for Trump. The vote will serve as both a referendum on his second term in the Oval Office following his initial stint in 2016, and a decisive factor in his remaining legislative power.
According to right-wing administration official Johnson, 54, a loss of Republican control within the House would effectively tank Trump and his controversial agenda.
“I’m very bullish about the midterms because we have such an extraordinary record to run on,” he began, going on to reference the 1 hour and 48 minute State of the Union address Trump, 79, gave yesterday.
Mike Johnson addressed the possibility of Trump losing the midterms (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
For anyone who missed it, the President’s speech focused heavily on a self-declared ‘economic turnaround’, along with his hardline stance on immigration and foreign policy, amid slumping Republican approval ratings.
In spite of the latter reality, Johnson gushed in his recent interview: “The President highlighted a lot of these big wins to the American people tonight.
“It wasn’t a laugh line. He said the people are so tired of winning. You know, there is so much, but there’s more yet to do, as he said.”
Johnson continued: “He needs all four years, not just two, to fix the mess – and that’s what we need.”
It is understood that ‘the mess’ referenced by Johnson alludes to the state of American politics left by Trump’s Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden.
“If we lost the midterms – heaven forbid, if we lost the majority in the House, it would be the end of the Trump presidency in real effect,” he added.
“So, we’ve got to keep this going. I think we’re excited to put our candidates on the field to explain all this to the people.”
Johnson continued: “We’ve got to keep going, we’ve got to keep delivering, and we will.
“The President laid out a pretty aggressive agenda tonight, as you heard, and we’ve got to do it with the smallest margin imaginable. At the moment, I have a one-vote margin – major thin.
“So, we’ve got to have effective unanimity among the party to deliver our priorities.”
Johnson simultaneously slammed the prior administration (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
The Speaker lastly insisted: “But I tell you what, this is a unified party. We have done it with small margins already, and we’ll continue to do it.
“We’re going to continue working on the things the President highlighted tonight.”
What is a midterm election?
According to the US Vote Foundation, a midterm election is an election held in the middle of the current four-year presidential term, with this year’s taking place on 3 November.
During this election, the composition of Congress is decided, with all 435 seats in the US House of Representatives up for grabs, and the partisan composition of Congress influences what the President can and can’t do during their term.
Meanwhile, states might also add other roles to the ballots, including governor, state representatives, judicial, and local offices.
How do the midterms affect Trump?
The US Vote Foundation goes on to say that the midterm election is especially important for the sitting President, as their job approval is a major factor in the outcomes for the US House and Senate.
“The higher his job approval, the fewer the losses that his party experiences.” they add.
However, the website adds that the results of the midterms do not reflect the possible outcome of the next presidential election, which will take place in 2028.
Featured Image Credit: Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images
