President TrumpDonald John TrumpGolden Globes host Ricky Gervais to celebs: Don’t get political Trump says he’ll sanction Iraq if US troops forced to leave Trump doubles down on threat to Iran cultural sites MORE returned to Washington on Sunday facing dueling crises that could define his presidency and shape the course of his reelection bid.

The president spent more than two weeks at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida, where he visited his nearby golf club on a near daily basis, met with top advisers and allies, and on Thursday night — in one of the most consequential decisions of his time in office — approved a military operation that resulted in the death of a top Iranian official.

But impeachment was never far from Trump’s mind.

The overlapping quagmires were on full display Saturday evening when Trump complained about Democrats focusing on “this ridiculous Impeachment Lite Hoax” only to threaten 36 minutes later that the U.S. would hit prominent Iranian targets “very fast and very hard” if Tehran retaliated over the killing of Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

The president’s fixation on impeachment even amid the potential for widening fallout with Iran reflects the challenge Trump will face in the weeks to come.

He will be forced to grapple with any ramifications that come from the death of Soleimani, which experts believe will include a counterpunch from Iran.

At the same time, the Senate is set to begin Trump’s trial soon, a political event likely to dominate the capital and hold the president’s attention as he seeks vindication.

Adding to the potential for a chaotic few weeks, former administration officials expressed doubt that Trump will be able to compartmentalize impeachment from the rest of his duties.

“It’s clear that impeachment is something that’s on his mind constantly, and it will be very difficult to separate the two,” said Dave Lapan, who served as press secretary for the Department of Homeland Security earlier in the Trump administration.

One former administration official remarked that Trump lacks former President Clinton’s “remarkable ability” to keep impeachment separate from the work of the president.

The president tweeted roughly 300 times while away from Washington.

The word “impeachment” appeared two dozen times on Trump’s Twitter feed from the time Trump landed until he departed Sunday.

Trump also repeatedly targeted House Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiImpeachment battle lines harden ahead of pivotal week GOP rep: Pelosi is leaving a ‘sad’ legacy GOP rep: Democrats changing their mind on impeachment trial rules MORE (D-Calif.), appearing particularly enraged by her decision to withhold the articles of impeachment from the Senate before Congress went on its holiday recess, creating uncertainty about when the president might get a trial. Trump tweeted about Pelosi personally roughly two dozen times while in Florida, calling her “overrated” and frequently blaming her for homelessness issues in California and her San Francisco district.

During one late-night Twitter spree, Trump retweeted a message that included the name of the individual alleged to be the whistleblower whose complaint helped trigger the impeachment inquiry. The tweet marked an escalation for Trump’s attacks on the individual and raised questions about whether the president had violated laws protecting whistleblowers.

“If you look at the president’s tweets over the last couple weeks, he has not shied away from engaging on very lengthy messaging against members of Congress on impeachment,” Lapan said.

Lapan noted that the same members Trump has excoriated on impeachment are the ones who will be pressuring Trump to keep Congress apprised of his next steps in Iran after he acted unilaterally last week.

The fractious politics of impeachment mixed with the tensions surrounding a potential foreign conflict could make for a volatile few weeks and more fireworks between Trump and Democratic leaders.

Pelosi issued a statement Friday indicating the White House’s notification to Congress about the strike was insufficient and raised “more questions than it answers.”

Sen. Elizabeth WarrenElizabeth Ann WarrenJudge Judy rules in favor of Mike Bloomberg, will join him on campaign trail Sanders leads in New Hampshire, in 3-way tie for first in Iowa: poll Sunday shows – Pompeo makes rounds in defense of Soleimani strike MORE (D-Mass.) on Sunday linked the timing of the military strike to the looming impeachment trial, questioning whether the aggression toward Iran served a political purpose.

As Democrats wring their hands over whether Trump may plunge the U.S. into a protracted conflict with Iran, some White House allies have seized on the events of the last 72 hours to flip the narrative on impeachment.

Lou DobbsLouis (Lou) Carl DobbsTrump faces dueling crises upon return to DC Republican group to run ads in target states demanding testimony from White House officials in Trump impeachment trial On The Money: Trump rules out total rollback of Chinese tariffs | Buttigieg unveils T child care, college, housing plan | Global billionaires’ wealth falls for first time since 2015 MORE, a Fox Business Network host who was seen chatting with Trump during a New Year’s Eve gala at Mar-a-Lago, defended the president’s decision to keep congressional leaders in the dark prior to the strike against Soleimani, saying it would be “utterly irrational” for the president to brief the people trying to “overthrow his presidency.”

White House press secretary Stephanie GrishamStephanie GrishamTrump signs bill to eliminate rape kit testing backlog Trump signs law to cut down on robocalls White House spokeswoman: ‘Dangerous’ for Pelosi to hold impeachment articles from Senate MORE, appearing on Dobbs’s show on Friday night, painted Democrats as petty for complaining about the lack of notification for the Soleimani operation and suggested their focus on impeachment might backfire.

“After the events of the last 24 hours, I think this impeachment stuff just seems all the more silly and pathetic,” she said.

“I continue to be so disappointed by these Democrats,” she added. “No matter what this president does, it’s not good enough.”

President TrumpDonald John TrumpGolden Globes host Ricky Gervais to celebs: Don’t get political Trump says he’ll sanction Iraq if US troops forced to leave Trump doubles down on threat to Iran cultural sites MORE on Monday demanded that his impeachment trial end quickly in the Senate, accusing House Democrats of a “con game” to help their chances during the 2020 election contest. 

Trump lashed out against impeachment in a series of tweets, deriding it as a “scam,” “hoax” and “witch hunt” and saying it was “sad” that Democrats were focused on impeaching him at a time when he is “so busy.” 

“The Impeachment Hoax, just a continuation of the Witch Hunt which started even before I won the Election, must end quickly,” Trump tweeted Monday morning. 

“Read the Transcripts, see the Ukrainian President’s strong statement, NO PRESSURE — get this done,” Trump continued, referring to the record of his calls with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, one of which is at the center of his impeachment.

“It is a con game by the Dems to help with the Election!” Trump alleged.

“This was not what the Founders had in mind!” Trump later wrote, noting that the Democratic-controlled House voted to impeach him last month without any Republican support. 

The tweets were Trump’s first since he returned to Washington from a two-week stay at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach and suggested impeachment was very much on his mind Monday morning.

Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiImpeachment battle lines harden ahead of pivotal week GOP rep: Pelosi is leaving a ‘sad’ legacy GOP rep: Democrats changing their mind on impeachment trial rules MORE (D-Calif.) has delayed sending the articles of impeachment accusing Trump of abusing his power and obstructing Congress to the Senate over questions about the fairness of a trial in the GOP-controlled upper chamber, which is widely expected to acquit Trump. 

The decision has left the timing of the trial up in the air, even as lawmakers return to Washington this week following a holiday recess.

Sen. Lindsey GrahamLindsey Olin GrahamGraham mulls rule changes to start impeachment trial without articles Sunday shows – Pompeo makes rounds in defense of Soleimani strike Graham calls Iran ‘the cancer of the Middle East’ MORE (R-S.C.), one of Trump’s foremost allies in Congress, on Sunday said he would push for a change of rules in the Senate to allow for the trial to move forward immediately if the upper chamber does not receive the articles by the end of the week.

Trump spent part of his two-week stint in Palm Beach, Fla., complaining about the impeachment inquiry on Twitter and lashing out at Pelosi in particular for delaying the transmission of the articles to the Senate.

Trump asked Zelensky to look into a debunked theory about Ukraine’s involvement in the 2016 hack of the Democratic National Committee as well as former Vice President Joe BidenJoe BidenBiden receives endorsements from three swing-district Democrats Sanders leads in New Hampshire, in 3-way tie for first in Iowa: poll The Democrats’ strategy conundrum: a ‘movement’ or a coalition? MORE and his son Hunter’s dealings in Ukraine during the July 25 call at the center of his impeachment, according to a rough transcript released by the White House. 

House Democrats allege that Trump abused his power by pressuring a foreign country to pursue investigations that could benefit his reelection campaign — citing witness testimony that he used a White House meeting and $400 million in aid to Ukraine to do so — and that he obstructed their inquiry by blocking witnesses and documents.

Trump and his White House have accused House Democrats of a partisan effort to overturn the results of the 2016 election and an unfair process, refusing to cooperate in the impeachment investigation.

The House will vote on a resolution limiting President TrumpDonald John TrumpGolden Globes host Ricky Gervais to celebs: Don’t get political Trump says he’ll sanction Iraq if US troops forced to leave Trump doubles down on threat to Iran cultural sites MORE’s military actions toward Iran following his decision to launch a drone strike that killed a top Iranian commander, Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiImpeachment battle lines harden ahead of pivotal week GOP rep: Pelosi is leaving a ‘sad’ legacy GOP rep: Democrats changing their mind on impeachment trial rules MORE (D-Calif.) said Sunday. 

Pelosi told Democratic members in a letter that the House will introduce a vote on a “War Powers Resolution” mandating that the administration’s military hostilities with regard to Iran would cease within 30 days if no further congressional action is taken. 

The resolution will be led by Rep. Elissa SlotkinElissa SlotkinThis week: House to vote on resolution limiting Trump on Iran after strike Trump enters uncharted territory with Iran US officials, lawmakers warn of potential Iranian cyberattacks MORE (D-Mich.), a former CIA and Department of Defense analyst specializing in Shia militias. 

Sen. Tim KaineTimothy (Tim) Michael KaineCongress to clash over Trump’s war powers Sanders, Khanna introduce legislation to block funding for a war with Iran Kaine introduces resolution to block war with Iran MORE (D-Va.) has introduced a similar legislation in the Senate. 

Trump last week ordered the attack that killed Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani. Top members of Congress, including Pelosi, said they were not briefed until after the strike. 

Pelosi in the new letter called the administration’s decision a “provocative and disproportionate military airstrike” that she said endangered U.S. service members and diplomats. 

“As Members of Congress, our first responsibility is to keep the American people safe,” Pelosi wrote. “For this reason, we are concerned that the Administration took this action without the consultation of Congress and without respect for Congress’s war powers granted to it by the Constitution.”

In the days following Thursday’s attack, Trump has warned of further strikes if Iran retaliates against the U.S. He said on Twitter on Sunday that his “Media Posts” would serve as notification to Congress, seemingly referring to his tweets.