Washington (United States) (AFP) – Donald Trump promised on Sunday a strong return to the American political scene, in the face of the Democrats' stated desire to use their new parliamentary majority to investigate the "corruption" of his administration during the first two years of his second term.
Published on: 08/11/2026 - 18:00Modified on: 08/11/2026 - 18:45
The Republicans' rout in the midterm elections on Tuesday cost them the majority in both houses, which will be controlled from January by the Democrats. They announced their intention to launch investigations into the president, his family and senior officials in his administration.
“America took a gigantic step backward in history with the results of the last elections,” the Republican president wrote Sunday on his Truth Social platform. “But don’t be afraid, we will come back BIGGER AND STRONGER THAN EVER,” he added.
Faced with promises from the leaders of the future Democratic majority to launch parliamentary investigations against those around him, particularly for corruption, Donald Trump asked his Department of Justice to intervene, denouncing attempts at "blackmail".
- “Trump Cartel” -
Questioned on Sunday on CNN and Fox News, Justice Minister Todd Blanche promised to defend members of the Trump administration if Democrats in Congress decided to “go after” them.
He cited the case of Stephen Miller, an influential advisor who played a key role in the policy of mass expulsions of immigrants, appointed Friday to the strategic position of White House chief of staff.
“If there is corruption within the government, those responsible will be prosecuted by this Ministry of Justice,” he assured.
“But what Democrats call corruption is not corruption but simply the story of an American success,” he said, in reference to the accusations targeting those close to Donald Trump.
The main Democratic member of the House of Representatives Investigations Committee, Robert Garcia, criticized the minister for continuing to behave like “Donald Trump’s personal lawyer” – which he was.
“All he wants is to protect Donald Trump, his ministers and the officials in his administration. That’s not his job,” he replied on CNN.
The congressman, who could chair the House Investigations Committee starting in January, called the Trump family "the most corrupt family to ever occupy the Oval Office."
“The Republicans are deploying their full arsenal. We must do the same as Democrats,” he said. “We have to fight and be aggressive.”
The leader of the Democrats in the House, Hakeem Jeffries, tipped to become president in January, also castigated Sunday "the unprecedented corruption in which the Trump cartel has engaged in the American people."
“If there are people who scammed or stole from Americans, they must be held accountable in accordance with the constitutional role of Congress, as a check on an out-of-control executive,” he added on CNN.
- Hegseth in the crosshairs -
In the sights of the Democrats could be Todd Blanche but also the Minister of Defense, Pete Hegseth, at the forefront of criticism, including within the Republicans, for his unwavering support for the very unpopular war launched with Israel against Iran more than eight months ago.
“The so-called Minister of Defense abused his powers, compromised our national security and orchestrated this irresponsible and costly war in Iran,” which “spiked prices for Americans and made the country less secure,” accused Hakim Jeffries.
“Pete Hegseth must go,” he added, saying he would wholeheartedly support possible parliamentary inquiries against the minister.
Another sign of Donald Trump's displayed pugnacity, he announced that he had offered the position of executive spokesperson to Dana White, one of his close friends who heads the UFC, the world's leading mixed martial arts (MMA) organization.
© 2026 AFP
The content you are trying to access does not exist or is no longer available.
