President Donald Trump has said he will use his veto to challenge the Democrats after the party secured control of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections. In a CBS News interview on Tuesday evening, before results began to be called, Trump said, "I have the ultimate power — it's called 'veto.'"
Asked about the prospect of a Democratic-controlled Congress next year, Trump said he is prepared to veto Democratic legislation if necessary and welcomed the moniker "Mr Veto" to describe his approach. The interview aired hours before projections showed the Democrats winning a majority in the House of Representatives and a projected majority in the Senate, giving the party overall control of Congress.
Democrats sweep to victory
While official results are still pending, media outlets are predicting a "blue tsunami" across the country. The Democrats have recorded several significant wins in historically Republican states, including flips in North and South Carolina. Georgia elected the US' first female black governor in Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, who edged out Republican Rick Jackson by 1.3 percent.
As results came in and Republican candidates fell, Trump lashed out on social media, posting on Truth Social at 10:37pm that he "would have won IN A LANDSLIDE" if he had been on the ballot. He also posted an image of a red cap with 'VETO' across the front instead of 'make America great again'.
Trump congratulates Democrats
Shortly after, Trump spoke on Fox News, conceding and congratulating his opponents. He said, "Well, I say this, congratulations to the Democrats, they did a good job. They've been looking for this one for 11-years and they've finally got it. But I don't view it as a hit on me, we've had the greatest two years in the history of the presidency."
Trump said he "will accept" the results of all races but criticised Republican candidates for "not being around" when "Trump wasn't fashionable", before "kissing my a**" once he rose to power. He told Fox News that the Iran war had an impact on voters' decisions, saying, "I think part of it was Iran but at the same time, people understood the importance of what I've done with Iran, historically it's going to be much more important than this evening." He later clarified that "it's the gasoline" prices driven by the Iran war that likely affected voters, adding they "probably weren't willing to do the short-term consequence of paying more for gasoline, and I understand that".
Veto power and executive actions
Before results were called, Trump was less conciliatory, saying his veto power could eventually force Democrats to cut bipartisan deals with him. "Historically, you veto for a couple of months and then they come and say, 'We've got to make a deal,'" Trump told CBS.
His comments signal a likely showdown between the executive branch and Congress next year, as he asserted he could ramp up his use of executive power if Democrats try to constrain him. In the interview, Trump cited Trump v. Slaughter, a Supreme Court decision from earlier this year that allowed him to fire Rebecca Slaughter, a member of the Federal Trade Commission, saying the 6-to-3 decision enables him to exert sweeping control over many federal agencies, boards and commissions, regardless of who holds majorities in the House and Senate. "We won the Slaughter case and the Slaughter case gives the president tremendous powers that it never had before," Trump said. He plans to use the ruling as part of the foundation for his executive actions next year. "The presidency, our presidency, is considered a strong presidency. You can do a lot," he added.
