_(3x4_close_cropped).jpg?width=1280)
Photo: Daniel Torok / White House (public domain)
President Donald Trump said Tuesday he would respect the results of next week's US midterm elections "if they're honest," while warning that he holds a "strong veto" if Democrats take control of Congress.
"I will, if they're honest elections," Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews as he headed to Texas on a campaign trip, when asked whether he would respect the midterm results. The November 3 elections will decide control of both chambers of Congress, with all 435 House seats and roughly one-third of the Senate up for grabs.
The veto warning
Trump also gave a guarded pledge to work with Democrats if Republicans lose their grip on the House and Senate. "We'll figure a way. Look, I have strong veto. I hope that that won't be the case, but if it is, that's happened before with many presidents," he said. "You have strong veto, and you end up working on deals."
The remarks come as polls show Republicans could lose control of Congress, with voters punishing the party over inflation stoked by oil prices that have risen since Trump launched the war on Iran in February, AFP reported. Trump has spent the final weeks of the campaign holding near-daily rallies to turn out his base.
Why the qualifier drew attention
AFP described the "if they're honest" condition as appearing to be a fresh bid to sow doubt ahead of the vote. Trump has repeatedly made unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud, most notably after his 2020 defeat to Joe Biden, which he refused to concede despite court rulings rejecting challenges and election officials finding no evidence of fraud on a scale that would change the result. His efforts to overturn that election culminated in the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol by his supporters as Congress met to certify Biden's victory.
On Monday, Trump also announced a $1 million reward for anyone reporting voter fraud in past elections or the upcoming midterms that leads to an arrest and conviction, writing on Truth Social: "Anybody reporting Voter Fraud in the past Elections, or the upcoming 2026 Midterm Election, will be paid $1,000,000 upon the arrest and conviction of those that created the Fraud!" He gave no details on how the reward would be funded or administered. Studies have consistently found voter fraud to be exceptionally rare, particularly voting by non-citizens, which is already illegal in federal elections.
What is at stake on November 3
A Democratic victory in either chamber could complicate Trump's efforts to advance his domestic priorities, including legislation on immigration, taxation and government spending, and would expose his administration to intensified congressional oversight. Trump was due to continue campaigning in Chillicothe, Ohio, on Wednesday evening, according to the White House schedule.
For now, Trump's message is twofold: a conditional acceptance of the results, and a reminder that even in defeat at the ballot box, the presidential veto remains a powerful tool.
Sources: AFP via Channel News Asia and Al Arabiya (quotes, Joint Base Andrews remarks, veto warning, polling context, 2020 background); The Economic Times (Tuesday remarks and Texas trip); USA Today and The Hindu BusinessLine (October 26 reward announcement, Truth Social post, funding details not given). Characterisations of Trump's fraud claims as unsubstantiated follow the reporting cited; the reward's funding and administration remain undisclosed.