Midterm elections 2026: House control shifts, but Trump’s term holds until 2029 By Luís Henrique Costa
3 min read
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Democrats were projected to win control of the U.S. House of Representatives on election night, Tuesday, November 3, 2026, but the result does not remove Donald Trump from the presidency. His four-year term is set by the Constitution and runs until January 20, 2029, no matter which party wins a majority in Congress. The projection still changes the balance of power in Washington.
Trump was sworn in for his second term in January 2025. In parliamentary systems, losing a legislative majority can bring down a prime minister and his cabinet. The American presidential system works differently, because the head of the executive keeps a fixed term set in Article II of the Constitution.
A Congress controlled by the opposition would still have real leverage over the White House. Whoever chairs the committees can summon cabinet secretaries to testify under oath and gain access to audit budgets. Investigations into federal contracts and executive decisions could slow the president’s agenda, although none of this ends the presidency.
Four constitutional paths that could end a presidency early
U.S. law provides only a few strict mechanisms to remove a president before the end of the term. Each one requires a different level of support.
Learn more: US midterm elections 2026: voters decide all 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats
- House impeachment: a simple majority, which means 218 House members, must approve articles of impeachment for treason, bribery or other serious crimes.
- Senate trial: removal requires two-thirds of the senators present, or 67 votes in a full chamber of 100 members.
- 25th Amendment: the vice president and a majority of cabinet ministers must declare in writing that the president is physically or mentally unable to perform the job.
- Voluntary resignation: the president submits a written notice to the State Department.
Nixon resigned, and the Senate has never convicted a president
In almost two and a half centuries of history, no head of state has been removed from office after a final conviction in the U.S. Senate. Several cases came close, and each one shows how high the threshold is in practice.
See also: Midterms 2026: Congress control vote on November 3 could stall Trump agenda
- 1868: Andrew Johnson faced the first impeachment in the House and was acquitted in the Senate by a single vote.
- 1974: Richard Nixon resigned before the House voted on the articles over the Watergate scandal.
- 1998: Bill Clinton was impeached by the House on perjury charges and was acquitted by a wide margin in the Senate.
- 2019: Trump faced his first impeachment in the House and was fully acquitted by the Senate.
- 2021: Trump became the only president impeached twice by the House. In his second trial, 57 senators voted to convict and 43 voted not guilty, short of the 67 votes needed.
What a Congress run by the opposition would change for the White House
The presidential mandate would stay the same, but the new Congress would set immediate limits on the White House agenda. The House and Senate each hold powers that the executive cannot ignore. Both chambers must approve the laws that the government needs to operate.
- Budget: the House holds the constitutional power to start budget bills, so the president must negotiate spending or risk paralysis in federal operations.
- Appointments: the Senate has the final word on confirming federal judges, senior court justices, ambassadors and top-level officials.
- Veto: the president can veto bills passed by opposition lawmakers, but Congress can override the veto with two-thirds of the votes in both chambers.
- Swearing-in: the newly elected members of the 120th legislature of Congress take office on January 3, 2027, when the House Democrats take control.
