Trump says he'll be 'Mr. Veto' if Democrats take Congress, White House preps executive workarounds

Donald Trump has said he will aggressively wield his veto power to block Democratic legislation if the party wins control of Congress in Tuesday's midterm elections. The White House has also been quietly preparing executive actions that could be taken without congressional approval, in anticipation of Democrats reclaiming a majority on Capitol Hill.

In a podcast interview released by the New York Post on Sunday (local time), Trump was asked how he would respond if Democrats won a congressional majority. "I'll probably be 'Mr. Veto,'" Trump said.

Trump made clear he would use that power to block Democratic-led legislation. "I'm not going to let them destroy things," Trump said.

Trump went on to say that if bills kept getting vetoed for a month or two, Democrats would ultimately be wasting their time. "They'll come and make a deal," Trump said.

Trump added that he hoped it would not come to that — a remark widely interpreted as expressing a preference that Democrats not win enough seats to force repeated veto battles.

Analysts say Democrats are likely to capture the House majority in Tuesday's vote, while the Senate remains too close to call.

A Democratic House majority would allow the party to launch investigations targeting the Trump administration, stall key legislative priorities and constrain government spending. Control of the Senate as well would give Democrats the power to block confirmations of senior administration officials and judges.

Trump, however, retains significant tools of his own — not only the veto, but also a broad range of executive powers he can exercise without congressional sign-off to advance his core policy agenda.

Overriding a presidential veto requires a two-thirds majority in both chambers of Congress.

Trump used his veto power 10 times during his first term and twice so far in his second. Notably, all 10 vetoes from the first term came after Democrats took the House in 2019. Of those, Congress succeeded in overriding only one — the veto of the fiscal year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act.

Inside the White House, preparations for a scenario in which Democrats win the majority have been underway for months.

Reuters reported that White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought have been reviewing since April what unilateral executive actions the president could take in areas including immigration, tariffs and government spending.

Among the options under consideration, according to a White House official, are new tariffs on imports of critical minerals and wind turbines, tighter regulation of student and temporary work visa holders, and measures to reduce housing and construction costs.

In addition, discussions are underway on how to deploy already-approved congressional funding to advance policy goals, and on expanding the influence of Trump-appointed officials over the distribution of federal subsidies.

The White House counsel's office has also been examining the outer limits of the president's unilateral legal authority, how far those limits can be pushed, and how to respond if legal challenges arise.

Trump has been briefed on these preparations and has taken part directly in the related discussions.

The White House is also bracing for the congressional investigations that a Democratic majority would likely launch against the administration.

White House lawyers have been advising senior administration officials on how to respond to congressional document requests and subpoenas, Reuters reported. They are also exploring how to use executive privilege to shield communications between Trump and close aides from congressional probes.