President Donald Trump has said he would become “Mr. Veto” if Democrats retake Congress in the midterm elections, telling the New York Post that he would reject Democratic legislation and force the opposition to negotiate. The report said the White House’s preparations for a possible defeat are more complicated and depend on the precise outcome of the vote.
Trump closed the campaign with a lavish Halloween party at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday, the report said. It described the midterms as being about affordability, sustainability and inflation driven up by the war in Iran, while Trump appeared costumed as himself—a choice the report said showed he did not see, or did not want to see, ordinary people’s problems. He held two rallies in the key states of Kansas and Iowa that had previously been canceled and then reinstated, and the report said having to campaign in two generally safe Republican areas demonstrated his difficulties. He was also due to speak in front of the Reflecting Pool at the Lincoln Memorial, a setting the report called symbolic of another failure after paint in the Washington Mall pool peeled.
According to polls cited in the report, the House is lost for Republicans, who hold a 219-214 majority; only the margin remains to be seen. The Senate, where the GOP has 53 seats against 47 for Democrats, is uncertain.
If Democrats hold Georgia and Michigan—where the report said defeated primary candidate Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers—the Senate majority will be decided in seven Republican-held battleground states: Texas, Ohio, Iowa, Alaska, Maine, North Carolina and Kansas.
Trump’s veto strategy would only apply if Democrats win both the House and Senate, giving them the ability to pass laws and reject nominations, according to the report. If Republicans keep the Senate, they could block Democratic initiatives and make a presidential veto unnecessary. If Republicans lose the House, they would no longer be able to pass laws.
Because Congress controls the purse, budget director Russel Vought is considering how to redirect already allocated funds to keep financing Trump’s priorities, the report said. Deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller is compiling a list of measures the president could take by decree, while executive power would still allow Trump to lead foreign policy and the armed forces.
The report also said another front would be resisting and obstructing the investigations Democrats plan to launch in the House—a daily battle that threatens to paralyze the United States for the next two years.
Sources: La Repubblica.