Trump calls 2020 impeachment a 'far bigger' scandal than Watergate
3 Min Read
Donald Trump compared his 2020 impeachment to the Watergate scandal, calling it a “bigger hoax,” and accused Senator Adam Schiff of corruption in a Truth Social post.
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President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025, in Washington. (AP)
US President Donald Trump on Sunday said the impeachment attempt against him in 2020 was a hoax “far bigger” than the Watergate scandal, urging Congress to investigate what he labeled a politically motivated attack.
“The Ukraine Impeachment (of me!) Scam was a far bigger Illegal Hoax than Watergate. I sincerely hope the necessary authorities, including CONGRESS, are looking into this!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
( @realDonaldTrump - Truth Social Post )
— Donald J Trump Posts TruthSocial (@TruthTrumpPost) October 12, 2025
( Donald J. Trump - Oct 12, 2025, 11:04 AM ET )
The Ukraine Impeachment (of me!) Scam was a far bigger Illegal Hoax than Watergate. I sincerely hope the necessary authorities, including CONGRESS, are looking into… pic.twitter.com/cfs5sfHs5M
The comment reignites Trump’s long-standing effort to portray the impeachment proceedings as part of a broader campaign by political opponents to undermine his presidency.
Senator Adam Schiff accused of corruption
Trump also took aim at Democratic Senator Adam Schiff, who played a central role in overseeing the 2020 impeachment process, accusing him of dishonesty and corruption. Schiff has long been a political adversary of Trump and a vocal critic during both impeachment trials.
In 2020, the US House of Representatives impeached Trump over allegations that he pressured Ukrainian authorities to investigate then-presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, who served on the board of the Ukrainian energy company Burisma. Trump was later acquitted by the Senate.
The impeachment was centered on a phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in which Trump allegedly linked US military aid to Ukraine with an investigation into the Bidens. While the House passed articles of impeachment, the Senate, controlled by Trump’s party at the time, voted to acquit him.
The Hunter Biden–Burisma issue has remained a point of contention in US politics, used by Trump and his allies to accuse the Biden family of corruption.
Watergate: The benchmark for political scandal in the US
Trump’s comparison to Watergate, the 1972 scandal that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon, is part of a broader strategy to frame his impeachment as not only unfounded, but historically unprecedented in its perceived injustice.
Watergate involved the illegal surveillance and burglary of the Democratic National Committee headquarters by members of Nixon’s re-election team. The scandal is widely regarded as one of the most significant political crises in US history.
By invoking Watergate, Trump seeks to recast the narrative around his own impeachment as not only politically motivated but more egregious than one of the darkest episodes in US presidential history.
Read more: House blocks Rep. Al Green’s bid to impeach Trump over Iran strikes
