Mike Johnson

House Speaker Mike Johnson warned that the prospect of another impeachment of President Donald Trump is not the biggest concern if Republicans lose control of the House in the 2026 midterm elections, arguing instead that Democrats would likely use a majority to go after Trump's family and others in the president's orbit.

Speaking to a crowd at the Faith and Freedom Coalition conference on Friday, Johnson said in part, "If we were to lose the midterms, heaven forbid, these Democrats, y'all, impeachment's not even the big concern," contending that potential Democratic committees would "go after" Trump's family, donors, friends and Cabinet members.

"Half of you in this room will be targeted. I run the protection program. I'll take care of you," Johnson added.

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When reached for comment about Johnson's remarks, White House Spokeswoman Olivia Wales told Newsweek, "President Trump is the unequivocal leader of the Republican party who was elected in a landslide victory to enact his commonsense, conservative agenda. It has been shown time and time again that President Trump’s America First agenda is a winning formula for success, and the President is committed to maintaining Republicans’ majority in Congress to continue delivering for the American people.

"In just over one year, the President has made our country greater than ever before with the most secure border in American history, the largest middle-class tax cuts ever, and the lowest murder rate since 1900. In the months ahead, President Trump will continue fighting to lower costs for working families while traveling across the country to highlight his accomplishments alongside Republicans in Congress."

What To Know

The remarks echo warnings Johnson has made that Republicans must retain their House majority to prevent Democrats from taking over. He has framed this midterm cycle as a battle between common sense and crazy.

Reacting to Johnson's remarks, Democrats of the House Committee on Homeland Security said on X, "We are the Homeland Security Committee Democrats and we approve this message."

Also reacting to Johnson's warning to Republicans about potential Democratic investigations, Columbia University professor Robert Y. Shapiro told Newsweek in part that, "First, all of these are real concerns since there are a lot of alleged misdeeds to be investigated. Johnson is pointing out this reality, perhaps especially to mobilize the MAGA and broader Republican base to turn out and vote. There seems to be more anger and enthusiasm to vote on the Democratic side, and the Republicans are very vulnerable to losing both the House and Senate, despite the effort to redistrict their way to stay in control of the House.

"The incentives for the Democrats to engage in investigations big time is to give Trump, selected cabinet members, and Republicans in Congress their comeuppance and to emphasize their gross misbehavior and poor performance going into the 2028 presidential election," Shapiro added. "That this will work in 2026 may not carry over to 2028 unless there are more misdeeds, the economy and the international fronts worsen, and Trump becomes even more erratic. Otherwise the Democrats need to have more to show voters to attract them."

Johnson added while speaking at the conference that, "This midterm is gonna be unlike any in history. There is a dangerous trend going on in the country right now. And the best way to describe what I've seen is I've said there's just little mini-Mamdanis popping up all around the country running for Congress." He added, "This is a serious threat, my friends."

He also said that Republicans have better candidates than the Democrats during this midterm cycle.

The speaker referenced New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani during a week in which candidates he endorsed scored a series of victories over establishment-backed Democrats in New York primaries.

Meanwhile, Democrats are attempting to retake the House and Senate in the upcoming November elections, and the GOP holds a 218-212 majority in the House as of June 26. Democrats would need to pick up four seats to win control or three seats to tie.

Amid the midterm and primary season, Trump has seen mixed results regarding his endorsements. Senator Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, lost his race, as did Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican. Trump backed both of their opponents. In Iowa's GOP primary for governor earlier this month, however, Representative Randy Feenstra conceded to businessman and farmer Zach Lahn—marking a notable loss for a Trump endorsee in this year's election cycle.

What Midterm Polling Shows

Recent polling has shown Democrats maintaining an advantage on the generic congressional ballot, while concerns about the economy and voters' approval of Trump have possibly created headwinds for Republican candidates. Historically, the president’s party often faces challenges in midterm elections.

A poll from The Economist/YouGov this month shows that 38 percent of U.S. adults would vote for the Democratic candidate for Congress versus 35 percent who say they would vote for the Republican candidate. The survey shows that 11 percent are not sure and 15 percent would not vote.

The poll was conducted from June 19 to June 22 among 1,679 adults, with a margin of error of 3.3 percent.