President Donald Trump said Friday that if Democrats win control of the House or the Senate in next month’s midterm elections, he would respond by vetoing their legislation until they agree to make deals with him.
“Well, I think the Republicans are going to win. But if there was, you call it gridlock, what happens is I veto everything,” Trump told reporters on the South Lawn of the White House on Friday morning, according to the Washington Examiner. “And then the Democrats come and they want to make a deal. So we’ll work it out.”
“Veto, veto, veto”
Pressed further on what a divided government would look like for the second half of his term, Trump described the approach as a way to force the other party to the negotiating table. Historically, he said, a president in that position would “veto, veto, veto, and they come and they say, ‘How do we get it done.’ And we make a deal,” as reported by NTD.
Trump made the remarks as he prepared to leave Washington for a campaign rally in Fort Myers, Florida, in support of Republican gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds. He also told reporters he expected to vote early in Florida this weekend.
What a veto strategy would mean
Republicans currently hold narrow majorities in both chambers of Congress, and the midterm elections are on Nov. 3. Under the Constitution, Congress can override a presidential veto only with a two-thirds vote in both the House and the Senate, a high bar that a new Democratic majority would be unlikely to clear on its own.
Trump has issued two vetoes so far in his second term, according to NTD. He vetoed 10 measures during his first term, while former President Joe Biden used his veto power 13 times.
The comments drew sharply divided reactions online. Supporters cast the pledge as a firewall against a Democratic agenda, while critics said it amounted to a promise of two years of gridlock unless Democrats give the president what he wants.
The bigger picture
The remarks come with less than two weeks to go before Election Day, as forecasters and polls have pointed to a difficult environment for Republicans, particularly in the battle for the House. Trump has repeatedly said he believes his party will hold or expand its majorities.
Whether Democrats flip one chamber, both, or neither, Trump’s message Friday was clear: a Democratic Congress should expect his veto pen.