On May 13, 2025, the Michigan Democrat filed a privileged resolution to force a House vote on seven articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, only to back down the next day after his party threw a fit. Turns out, even Democrats know a losing battle when they see one.
The Daily Caller reported that Thanedar, a two-term congressman facing a primary challenge from the left, thought he could play hero with his impeachment gambit. His resolution was meant to strong-arm a vote, but it landed like a lead balloon among colleagues focused on blocking Trump’s legislative agenda.
House Democratic leadership leaned hard on Thanedar, and by May 14, 2025, he caved. He announced his retreat on X, saying, “after talking with many colleagues, I have decided not to force a vote on impeachment today.” Sounds like someone got a reality check.
Democrats saw Thanedar’s move as a distraction from their fight against Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill.” An anonymous House Democrat called it “the dumbest thing,” per Axios, proving even the left can spot a bad idea. Unity trumps Thanedar’s grandstanding.
Earlier that day, Thanedar was all bravado at a press conference, claiming, “We’ve got to take a stand.” He brushed off concerns about forcing swing-district Democrats to vote on his resolution, saying, “As a member of Congress, we take hard votes every day.” Bold words for a guy who folded hours later.
Thanedar even argued it’s “never the wrong time to do the right thing,” as quoted by Adam Pack on X. Noble sentiment, but when your party calls your plan “utterly selfish,” maybe it’s time to rethink your moral high ground.
He claimed Trump committed impeachable offenses in the prior 15 days, including accepting a $400 million private jet from Qatar. Sounds juicy, but without evidence or party support, it’s just noise. Thanedar’s solo crusade was doomed from the start.
Thanedar showed no worry about putting battleground Democrats in a tough spot. “They just need to look into not what plays well politically,” he told the Daily Caller News Foundation, urging them to “do the right thing.” Easy for him to say from a safe seat.
Those swing-district lawmakers, many in areas Trump won, breathed a sigh of relief when Thanedar backed off. Forcing them to vote on impeachment would’ve been a political gift to MAGA. Nice try, Shri, but no cigar.
Aguilar’s rebuke underscored the party’s priorities: health care, not impeachment. “Everything else is a distraction,” he said, and Democrats agreed, leaving Thanedar out in the cold. Party discipline 1, rogue congressman 0.
Despite the flop, Thanedar didn’t rule out reviving his impeachment push later. That’s like promising to bring back skinny jeans—good luck with that. His colleagues’ icy response suggests he’ll face an uphill battle.
The left’s primary challenge against Thanedar might’ve fueled his bold move, but it backfired spectacularly. Alienating your party isn’t exactly a winning strategy for re-election. Maybe next time, he’ll pick a fight he can win.
For now, Democrats are back to battling Trump’s agenda, while Thanedar licks his wounds. His impeachment dream crashed and burned, proving even the woke crowd can’t always rally behind a bad idea. MAGA, meanwhile, gets to chuckle at the chaos.