George Conway, a former Republican lawyer turned one of President Donald Trump’s most outspoken critics who is now running for Congress as a Democrat, said on Friday that the president’s grip on his own party is weaker than public statements suggest—and that mounting Republican anxiety could eventually open the door to impeachment.
In an interview with journalist Tara Palmeri published Friday on her Substack, Conway called the Trump administration the “most corrupt” in American history, adding, “We are starting to see cracks—even Republicans have had enough.”
Why It Matters
Polling tracked by Newsweek shows Trump’s support eroding among independents—a voting bloc that has historically determined midterm outcomes.
Trump has repeatedly warned GOP lawmakers that losing the House would result in impeachment, a message that party leaders have echoed publicly.
What to Know
The Republican Party has seen the president’s approval ratings slide as the midterm elections approach.
Conway has argued in media appearances that while Republicans publicly defend Trump out of fear, privately many believe he is politically damaging—particularly on immigration enforcement and foreign policy—with swing‑district Republicans being especially vulnerable.
Conway, who co‑founded the anti‑Trump Lincoln Project and was once married to former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway, has made impeachment central to his bid for a House seat in New York. He argues that impeachment is not merely a political strategy but a constitutional duty.
Trump was impeached twice during his first term and acquitted by the Senate both times, making any third impeachment unprecedented.
Conway believes Democrats will control the Senate next year, he told Palmeri. With that, he said, “You can set the rules. And the rules this time should provide for a real trial, not these show arguments, these, you know, these statements on the floor by impeachment managers where they’re just politicians giving speeches.”
A real trial in the Senate, he added, “is going to basically, I think, flip enough Republicans, who will be exhausted by this and who want to rescue their party.”
Nevertheless, Democratic leaders remain cautious. Several House Democrats have said that pursuing impeachment without a realistic path to Senate conviction would be a distraction. California Representative Robert Garcia told Punchbowl News that impeachment would almost certainly fail in the Senate, where 67 votes are required to remove a president from office.
Still, impeachment efforts have not disappeared. Representatives Al Green of Texas and Shri Thanedar of Michigan have been among the House Democrats who have repeatedly introduced articles of impeachment against Trump, arguing that Congress has a responsibility to act regardless of the political odds.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump told House Republicans in January: “But you gotta win the midterms, because if we don’t win the midterms, it’s just going to be, I mean, they’ll find a reason to impeach me. I’ll get impeached.”
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told Newsweek on March 19: “What matters most to the American people is having a commander‑in‑chief who takes decisive action to eliminate threats and keep them safe, which is exactly what President Trump is doing with the ongoing successful Operation Epic Fury.”
California Representative Robert Garcia to Punchbowl News on Thursday: “The reality is we know that Trump, regardless of any impeachment vote, is not going to get convicted by the Senate.”
What Happens Next
The next major test for Trump’s standing within the Republican Party will come in the midterm elections later this year, where control of the House is expected to hinge on a small number of competitive districts.
In the months ahead, further polling shifts, primary results, and Republican messaging decisions will offer clearer signals about whether internal GOP concern is translating into political action.
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