“Wary of a backlash,” Democrats tread carefully on impeaching Trump... Likely to curb administration policies by ousting defense secretary [Aftermath of U.S. “Blue Tsunami”]

After sweeping both chambers of Congress in the U.S. midterm elections, Democrats plan to work to reverse President Donald Trump’s policies rather than impeach him. There is also speculation that the U.S. House of Representatives could vote as early as next week on an impeachment resolution against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (pictured).
According to CNN and other local media, Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic House minority leader from New York who is widely seen as the likely next Speaker of the U.S. House, was asked at a news conference on the 4th (local time) whether anyone in his party was pushing to impeach the president. “No Democratic member of the House has talked to me about impeachment. We have remained relentlessly focused on the cost of living and holding people accountable,” he said.
Impeaching a president in the U.S. Congress requires the support of a simple majority in the House (218 seats) and two-thirds of the Senate (67 seats).
On the 4th, the U.S. news magazine Time noted that Democrats, despite winning this time, remain unpopular. According to exit polls from the previous day’s midterm elections, support for Democrats stood at 46%, not much higher than the Republican Party’s 41%. Democrats regained control of Congress in this election on a wave of calls to hold Trump accountable, but failed to offer a concrete political vision. Time noted that Democrats face many urgent challenges ahead of the 2028 presidential election, including moving away from a hard-left agenda, stabilizing prices and checking the Trump administration. On the 4th, President Trump warned that Democrats “will be doomed” if they try to impeach him.
Time nevertheless predicted that calls for impeachment would emerge in some form within the Democratic Party. The party leadership is therefore expected to pursue Hegseth’s impeachment instead of Trump’s as a compromise.
Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, regarded as one of the Republican Party’s leading anti-Trump figures, said he would push for a vote next week on an impeachment resolution against Hegseth. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is being mentioned as a possible successor. There is also speculation that President Donald Trump could replace Hegseth before any impeachment proceedings. CBS reported that Trump is discussing with his aides whether to replace Hegseth.
Democrats are also preparing congressional investigations into alleged misconduct by the Trump family and associates. Representative Robert Garcia, a California Democrat widely seen as the likely next chair of the House Oversight Committee, warned in an interview on the 4th, “Crimes by the Trump family are the top priority of our investigation.”
The New York Times (NYT) predicted that Democrats would investigate conflicts of interest involving the Trump family’s crypto assets; overseas dealings by Trump family businesses; various favors involving eldest son Donald Trump Jr.; alleged influence-peddling related to presidential pardons; and preferential treatment related to construction of a new White House ballroom.