Even If Democrats Win Congress, Final Power Stays With Me, Trump Says, Citing Veto
President Donald Trump has said that even if control of Congress passes to the Democrats in the United States midterm elections, the final power will remain with him. His argument is that even if the Democrats win a majority in Congress, he still holds the veto power as president.
Trump spoke to several news outlets after polling stations began to close. In an interview with CBS News, he set out his position in response to a question about the possibility of losing control of Congress. "Even if control of Congress goes to the Democrats, the final power will stay in my hands," Trump said, referring to the president's constitutional veto power.
According to a Reuters report, early results began coming in after voting ended in several states. In this election, which will decide control of Congress, all seats in the House of Representatives and about a third of the seats in the Senate are being contested.
The report notes that to win majorities in the House and the Senate, the Democrats need to take at least three and four seats respectively into their own column.
According to surveys and forecasts by nonpartisan analysts, control of the House of Representatives may pass from the Republicans to the Democrats. Control of the Senate, however, remains uncertain.
The election is also being seen as an important political test for Trump's second term. The war with Iran and the resulting rise in fuel prices have created discontent among American voters, and Trump's popularity has fallen close to the lowest level of his current term, according to the report.
Alongside the elections for the two chambers of Congress, voters are also choosing governors in 36 states. American voters are additionally taking part in state legislature elections and several important referendums.
