Trump Vows to Become “Mr. Veto” if Democrats Win Control of Congress

Breaking

President Donald Trump says he is ready to block Democratic legislation if his party loses control of Congress in Tuesday’s midterm elections. “Well, if that happens, I guess I’ll become Mr. Veto,” Trump said in an interview with New York Post columnist Miranda Devine on the “Pod Force One” podcast, according to Breitbart News. “They’ll be sending stuff up. You veto it,” he added, according to Newsweek.

Trump made the comments on Monday, the final day before voters went to the polls to decide control of the House and Senate. He said a standoff would likely end in negotiations. “And then at some point, we’ll probably make deals. That’s what’s happened,” Trump said. He also made clear he expects a better outcome for Republicans. “Look, if we didn’t win—I think we’re going to do great—but if we didn’t win, I’d veto everything,” he said. “I think that probably would happen, but hopefully we don’t have to worry about that.”

Details & Background

Republicans enter Election Day with a 218-214 majority in the House and a 53-47 majority in the Senate, according to Newsweek. Democrats need a net gain of four seats in each chamber to take control. The Cook Political Report rates seven Senate races and 18 House races as tossups, including Senate contests in Alaska, Kansas, Maine and Texas. Polls have generally shown Democrats favored to win the House, while the Senate is considered too close to call. A New York Times/Siena poll found that voters who made up their minds in the final month favored Republicans by nine points.

The veto is one of the most powerful tools a president has. Overriding one requires a two-thirds vote in both the House and the Senate, a bar neither party is expected to reach after Tuesday. During his first term, Trump vetoed 10 bills, and Congress overrode him only once, on the annual defense bill in January 2021. In January of this year, the House failed to muster the votes to override two of his second-term vetoes, according to the Washington Times. A White House official also told Reuters that senior adviser Stephen Miller and budget director Russell Vought are examining what Trump can legally do on his own if Democrats win, according to Newsweek.

Reactions

Democrats have already signaled what a majority would mean for the administration. Newsweek reported that Democrats have promised investigations into the Trump family’s finances and the Iran war, and that some prominent Democrats have floated impeaching Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. House Oversight Committee ranking member Robert Garcia, D-Calif., has said that acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and other Trump officials could face subpoenas on the first day of a Democratic majority. Newsweek said it contacted the White House for comment and reported no response.

Republican leaders, meanwhile, spent the final hours of the campaign urging their voters to show up. “If our voters turn out, we win,” Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters said, according to Fox News. Trump struck the same note with supporters. “We’re going to win and let’s make the next two years bigger and better and stronger than ever before,” he said. Trump has also said he would respect the results “if they are honest elections,” according to TIME.

Why This Matters to You

A divided government would change what happens in Washington for the next two years. If Democrats win the House, every spending bill, border security measure and tax policy would have to pass through a chamber controlled by the opposing party. Trump’s veto pledge means bills written to undo his agenda would almost certainly die on his desk, but it also means fewer new laws would pass at all. The current Congress has already passed just 121 laws since January 2025, the second fewest of any Congress in four decades, according to Pew Research figures cited by Newsweek.

History shows that divided government does not have to mean total gridlock. Presidents Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama all lost control of both chambers at some point and still signed major legislation. But a Democratic House would also bring subpoenas, investigations and the threat of impeachment, turning the final two years of Trump’s presidency into a constant fight over oversight. Whether Trump spends 2027 signing bills or vetoing them will be decided by the votes being counted tonight.