Hodges urges Congress to use budget powers to constrain Trump

A German panel examines the limits of Trump's post-election authority, with sharp disagreements over diplomacy toward Washington, Moscow and Tehran.

Channel: ZDFheute Nachrichten ·

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Ex-US-General Hodges: Trump ist von Putin "gekauft worden" | maybrit illner 5. November 2026

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2:05Mekhennet argues Trump retains leverage through foreign policy and veto power despite the election losses.
3:33Theveßen reports that Thomas Massie plans to revive an impeachment resolution against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
20:19Hodges alleges that Putin has leverage over Trump and that Trump has been bought.
36:30Hodges argues Congress can use constitutional powers and spending authority to constrain Trump's war plans.
39:52Van Aken calls for renewed diplomacy with Iran and warns against military escalation.
53:33Hodges predicts a Ukrainian victory and calls for Germany to take a diplomatic leadership role.

Democratic control of Congress can put limits on Donald Trump's war plans, retired US general Ben Hodges argues on Maybrit Illner's political panel. His prescription is for lawmakers to use their constitutional standing and control over spending, rather than assume electoral defeat alone will restrain the president.

The discussion, broadcast by Germany's ZDFheute Nachrichten, follows Democratic gains in both chambers. Journalist Souad Mekhennet rejects the idea that Trump is already powerless: she says he can deflect responsibility for the losses, emphasize foreign policy and wield his veto.

ZDF Washington correspondent Elmar Theveßen reports that Republican congressman Thomas Massie intends to revive an impeachment resolution against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Hodges describes Pentagon leadership as chaotic and criticizes Hegseth's treatment of Congress. Political scientist Frank Sauer examines Republican divisions over the Iran war, while CDU politician Norbert Röttgen interprets Vice President JD Vance's post-election distancing from Trump as the beginning of an internal challenge to his authority.

For the German guests, the practical question is how Chancellor Friedrich Merz should deal with a president who still holds substantial power. Jan van Aken, of the left-wing party Die Linke, argues that Merz relied too heavily on courting Trump. Hodges, a former commander of US Army Europe, defends the chancellor's direct engagement.

About twenty minutes into the program, Hodges makes the accusation highlighted in the upload's title: he believes Trump is under Vladimir Putin's pressure and has been bought by him. This is Hodges's allegation, not an established finding.

The later discussion turns from Washington's power struggle to the wars themselves. Mekhennet and Theveßen warn about unpredictable American moves toward Iran; van Aken calls for renewed diplomacy to prevent further military escalation. On Ukraine, Sauer describes growing economic unease within Moscow's elite, while Hodges remains confident of a Ukrainian victory and calls for German diplomatic leadership.

That does not produce agreement about negotiating with Putin. Near the end, Röttgen and van Aken dispute the prospects for talks, leaving the panel divided over how diplomacy could deliver an acceptable outcome for Ukraine.

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