Topline
President Donald Trump said he thinks the U.S. “shouldn’t even have” midterms in November, according to an interview with Reuters published Thursday, ramping up his attacks on the upcoming election after repeatedly expressing alarm about the possibility of Republicans losing control of Congress.
President Donald Trump takes questions from reporters aboard Air Force One on January 11.
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Key Facts
Trump claimed to Reuters that because of his administration’s many accomplishments during his second term, “When you think of it, we shouldn’t even have an election [in November].”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later claimed Thursday that Trump was “simply joking” and “speaking facetiously” by saying that, telling reporters the president was saying, “We’re doing such a great job … maybe we should just keep rolling.”
Democrats are favored to make gains in Congress in November, based on polling and historical trends showing the party that’s not in the White House typically does better in midterm elections, with Trump lamenting that pattern and claiming “it’s some deep psychological thing.”
Trump has repeatedly expressed concern about the possibility his party could lose control of Congress in the midterms, telling GOP lawmakers earlier this month Democrats would “find a reason to impeach me” if they regain congressional control.
Trump told Republicans in that speech the party has “got to win the midterms,” but added he wouldn’t say, “cancel the election, because the fake news will say, ‘He wants the elections canceled. He’s a dictator.’”
Republicans have also undertaken efforts to try and stave off Democratic gains in November, most notably through redistricting efforts that would give states additional Republican-leaning seats in the House.
Big Number
44%. That’s the share of voters who said they would back a Democratic candidate in the midterms, according to an Economist/YouGov poll conducted Jan. 9-12, versus 40% who would back the Republican candidate. The poll is in line with other recent surveys on which party is favored in November, with an average of polls by RealClear Polling finding Democrats have a 4.3% advantage over Republicans as of Thursday.
Tangent
In his interview with Reuters, Trump broadly dismissed criticism of his administration’s policies from voters, business leaders and even others in his own party. The president waved off polling suggesting his threatened takeover of Greenland is politically unpopular, telling Reuters, “A lot of times, you can’t convince a voter … You have to just do what’s right.” Trump also chastised Republican lawmakers who have raised concerns about his administration’s criminal investigation into Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell—saying, “I don’t care … they should be loyal”—and dismissed JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon’s warnings that the investigation could raise inflation. “I don’t care what he says,” Trump told Reuters.
Key Background
Democrats have been broadly concerned that Trump could try to interfere in elections during his second term, after the president unsuccessfully waged a campaign to overturn his electoral loss in 2020. Trump has raised scrutiny by repeatedly making comments floating a desire to stay in office past his second term—which would not be legal—though he has not yet overtly said he intends to try to do so and acknowledged in October he’s “not allowed to run” again. The president has also continued to push unfounded claims of voter fraud that critics worry could erode trust in elections and pave the way for increased voting restrictions. Trump urged Republicans in January to pass the SAVE Act, which would require voters to provide proof of citizenship every time they register to vote, pushing fraud allegations around noncitizen voting even as evidence suggests the practice is exceedingly rare.
Further Reading
