Donald Trump has raised fresh questions about the limits of presidential power after saying he could have done “very bad things” to Hillary Clinton, Joe
Biden and Barack Obama, but chose not to because of his respect for the presidency. Trump made the remarks during an Oval Office event on Wednesday while responding to a question about his repeated claim that Democrats would seek to impeach him if they regain control of Congress in the November midterm elections. After saying Democrats had not explained what they would impeach him for, Trump turned to his former political rivals. “I could have done very bad things to Hillary Clinton. I could have done very, very bad things to Joe Biden. I could have done very bad things to Barack Hussein Obama,” Trump said.
Trump: "I could've done very bad things to Hillary Clinton. I could've done very very bad things to Joe Biden. I could've done very bad things to Barack Hussein Obama ... I can do whatever I want, if I want." https://t.co/xN6hiFNTaX
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 7, 2026
He then added that he believed it would have been inappropriate because “you have to treat the office of the presidency with respect.” Trump went on to describe the presidency as a “sacred position”.
Trump Says He Can ‘Do Whatever I Want’
The remarks became more pointed when Trump referred to his two impeachments during his first presidency. “Then I found out that they impeached me twice,” Trump said, before adding that he could, “even to this moment”, “do whatever I want if I want.” He accused his political opponents of having done “very illegal” and “many illegal things”.
Trump was impeached twice during his first term, although the Senate did not convict him in either case.
His comments came as Republicans and Democrats prepare for the November midterms, with Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson warning that Democrats could pursue impeachment if they regain control of Congress. Democrats have not said that impeachment would necessarily be a priority if they take power.
Epstein Files Add To Broader Political Fight
The remarks also come against the backdrop of the continuing political controversy over the Jeffrey Epstein files, which Trump has repeatedly used to attack Democratic figures and other perceived opponents.
In 2025, Trump claimed the Epstein files had been created or manipulated by figures including Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Fact-checking at the time noted that the major federal Epstein investigations took place during the George W. Bush and Trump administrations, rather than under Obama or Biden.
The Epstein controversy has nevertheless kept Clinton, Trump and other prominent political figures under renewed scrutiny as additional government records have been released. The presence of a person's name in Epstein-related records does not, by itself, establish criminal wrongdoing.
