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President Donald Trump has laid out how he would govern if Democrats take control of Congress in Tuesday's midterm elections, telling the New York Post's Miranda Devine that he would turn to his veto pen again and again until Democratic leaders came to the negotiating table. The remarks came in an interview for Devine's "Pod Force One" podcast, an excerpt of which aired on Fox News on Sunday, November 1, ahead of the full interview's release on Monday.
"I guess I'll become Mr. Veto," Trump said. "I'm not going to let them ruin it."
He described the sequence he expects: Democratic majorities would send legislation to his desk, he would veto it, and after a month or two of vetoes, Democrats would come over and make a deal. "They'll be sending stuff up. You veto it," he said. "Eventually, after a month or two of getting all vetoed, they come over and make a deal." He added that he hoped Republicans would not have to face that outcome at all, saying, "hopefully we don't have to worry about that," and that it would not be the first time a president had governed without control of either chamber.
The stakes are control of Congress for the final two years of Trump's second term. All 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats are on the ballot on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Republicans currently hold narrow majorities of 218-214 in the House and 53-47 in the Senate, and Democrats would need a net gain of four seats in each chamber to take control, according to Reuters. A presidential veto can only be overridden by a two-thirds vote in both chambers, a threshold a narrow Democratic majority would be unlikely to reach without substantial Republican support.
Trump has used the veto sparingly in his second term, rejecting just two bills, compared with 10 during his first term. He has governed with divided government before: in his first term, Republicans lost the House in the 2018 midterms while retaining the Senate. He made a similar point to reporters on October 23, saying that if there was gridlock, he would veto everything and Democrats would then come and want to make a deal.
The White House has also been preparing for months for the possibility of a Democratic majority. Reuters reported that Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought have been working with the White House Counsel's Office since April to identify executive actions Trump could take without Congress, including on immigration, tariffs, housing costs and federal spending. Options under review include new tariffs on imports of critical minerals and wind turbines, tighter rules for holders of student and temporary work visas, and measures to lower housing and construction costs. The White House is also preparing for congressional investigations and subpoenas if Democrats take control.
In the interview, Trump also warned about what he said Democrats would pursue, including getting rid of the Second Amendment and, in his words, "transgender for everyone." Forecasters give Democrats the edge heading into Tuesday: Decision Desk HQ put their chances at 83 percent for the House and about 62 percent for the Senate. Those are forecasts, not results, and Trump insisted Republicans would do well, saying, "I think we're going to do great."