President Donald Trump said he believes the United States “shouldn’t even have” midterm elections in November, according to an interview with Reuters published on Thursday. This intensifies his attacks on the upcoming elections after repeatedly expressing alarm at the possibility of Republicans losing control of Congress.
Key data
Trump told Reuters that because of his administration’s many accomplishments during his second term, “thinking about it, we shouldn’t even have an election (in November).”
Democrats are the favorites to make gains in Congress in November, according to polls and historical trends that show the party that doesn’t win the White House tends to do better in midterm elections. Trump regrets this trend and states that “it is a deep psychological issue.”
Trump repeatedly expressed concern about his party losing control of Congress in the midterm elections, telling Republican lawmakers earlier this month that Democrats would “find a reason to impeach him” if they regain control of Congress.
In that speech, Trump told Republicans that the party “has to win the midterm elections,” but added that he wouldn’t say “cancel the election, because the fake news will say, ‘He wants the election canceled. He’s a dictator.'”
Republicans also tried to slow Democrats’ advance in November, most notably through redistricting that would give states additional Republican seats in the House of Representatives.
The president gave no specific indication whether he might try to take action to hinder the November midterm elections.
Also read: Looking ahead to the midterm elections, Republicans maintain an advantage among older voters: Reuters/Ipsos
Big number
44%. That’s the percentage of voters who said they would support a Democratic candidate in the midterms, according to an Economist/YouGov poll conducted Jan. 9-12, compared to 40% who would support the Republican candidate.
The survey coincides with other recent ones on which party is the favorite in November, with an average of RealClear Polling polls that, as of this Thursday, indicated that the Democrats had a 4.3% advantage over the Republicans.
Tangent
In his interview with Reuters, Trump largely dismissed criticism of his administration’s policies from voters, business leaders and even members of his own party. The president downplayed polls that suggested his threatened takeover of Greenland was politically unpopular, telling Reuters: “A lot of times, you can’t convince a voter… You just have to do the right thing.”
Trump also rebuked Republican lawmakers who expressed concern about his administration’s criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, saying, “I don’t care… you should be loyal.” And he dismissed warnings from JPMorgan Chief Executive Jamie Dimon that the investigation could increase inflation. “I don’t care what he says,” Trump told Reuters.
Key context
Democrats were deeply concerned about the possibility that Trump would try to interfere in the election during his second term, following the president’s unsuccessful campaign to overturn his 2020 election loss.
Trump drew scrutiny by making repeated comments suggesting his desire to remain in office after his second term — which would be illegal — although he has not yet openly declared his intention to try and acknowledged in October that he is “not allowed to run” again.
The president also continued to push unfounded accusations of voter fraud that his critics said could erode confidence in the election and pave the way for further restrictions on voting.
In January, Trump urged Republicans to pass the SAVE Act, which would require voters to present proof of citizenship each time they register to vote, fueling accusations of fraud around noncitizen voting even as evidence suggests the practice is extremely rare.
This article was originally published in Forbes US
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