Donald Trump said he is "not looking to kill lots of people" in a final message to voters as polling stations opened for the US mid-term elections. In a Fox News interview, the 80-year-old president turned to the topic of the Iran war, telling hosts: "I'm not looking to kill lots of people, but if we have to, we'll have to. I'm not looking to do that."
Mid-term stakes and Iran tensions
The comments come amid fears of renewed US-Israeli strikes on the Middle East, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly pushing for in a bid to form an emergency government after losing his parliamentary majority last week. US allies in the region have warned against a return to full-scale conflict, saying it would destabilise the region.
The mid-terms have been framed by commentators as a referendum on Mr Trump's second term, with Republican turnout expected to drop as voters struggle under high prices and largely oppose the war in Iran. The party is bracing to lose control of the US House and fighting to hold onto the US Senate, an outcome that would have seemed highly unlikely earlier this year.
Tight margins and early voting
Margins will be tight in both chambers, with just one or two seats potentially tipping the balance. The Democrats need a net gain of four seats in the 100-member Senate to win the majority and only three in the 435-member House. Over 57 million people had already cast their ballots by Monday, with turnout surpassing the early vote four years ago in many closely-watched states.
Mr Trump, whose party has struggled to turn out the low-propensity voters who fuelled his victories when he is not running, told voters to act as though he is on the ballot, even as his approval rating hits a near-record low of 32%. He also insisted that "everything's going good" and "inflation is solved" in the Fox News interview, even as consumer prices rose 3.6% in September compared to a year earlier.
Impact on the presidency
He added: "I think the results are going to be better than you think." While Mr Trump will still be able to sign executive orders without congressional approval, the results could shape the final two years of his presidency, with the Republican-controlled Congress so far acting as a rubber stamp to much of his agenda. Democrat control of even one chamber could open the floodgates to investigations and possible impeachments.
His final address at the National Mall included extensive remarks about new grass, rusty pipes and algae at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. "For some reason, the sitting President doesn't win the mid-terms, but we gave this a very strong shot," he said. "We have a lot of great things planned for Washington and I could get into [more about] the nation, but for that you don't have enough time."
