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Flake urges investigations, not a rush to impeach Trump

ABC's Planet America pairs its midterm breakdown with the former Republican senator's advice for Democrats and a free-trade prescription for his own party.

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ABC News In-depth Story of November 10, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? One of ABC News In-depth's most watched videos since yesterday, with 195,122 views.

What caused the catastrophic Republican midterm election losses? | Planet America

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0:45Barron traces Democratic Senate gains, before the programme examines Alaska's unresolved contest.
5:32Licciardello examines Southern seat changes and shifts towards Democrats among college-educated white voters and young men.
15:32Trump and Vance emphasise Iran; exit-poll graphics also highlight corruption, living costs and tariffs.
24:38Flake attributes Republican losses to tariffs, foreign conflict, administrative corruption and abrasive campaigning.
25:33Flake advises Democrats to investigate corruption without rushing into another Trump impeachment.
26:22His proposed Republican reset centres on limited government and free trade, with Rubio a possible bridge figure.

Jeff Flake sees a Republican defeat reaching well beyond individual candidates. But his advice to the incoming Democratic Congress is to investigate corruption rather than begin with another impeachment of Donald Trump.

"I certainly wouldn't impeach the president, unless something else comes up, you know, that justifies it," the former Republican senator tells ABC News In-depth's Planet America.

That interview adds a Republican assessment to John Barron and Chas Licciardello's examination of why the party lost so heavily. Flake identifies tariffs, foreign conflict, administrative corruption and abrasive campaign language as drivers of the result. Those are his explanations, rather than a single cause established by the programme.

The hosts begin with the electoral map, tracing Democratic gains through Southern states and examining shifts towards Democrats among college-educated white voters and young men. Their account also includes Republican successes, notably Byron Donalds' victory in the Florida governor's contest, and the still-uncalled Alaska Senate race.

The distinction between politicians' explanations and voters' priorities becomes central. Trump says Republicans would have won had he been on the ballot, while both he and JD Vance point to the Iran war. The programme's exit-poll discussion broadens the picture to government corruption, the cost of living and tariffs.

For Flake, the response should not simply be a different Republican messenger. He argues for limited government, free trade and traditional conservatism, and identifies Marco Rubio as someone who could bridge the party's divisions.

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