US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump voted early in Florida on Saturday, 10 days before the November 3 midterm elections, as Republicans try to preserve their control of Congress.
- The president and first lady cast their ballots in their home state before Trump departed for Georgia, where he was scheduled to hold a rally backing Republican candidates.
- After voting at the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections office in West Palm Beach, Trump told reporters that he had supported only Republican contenders.
- Questioned about voter concerns over corruption, Trump blamed Democrats for alleged wrongdoing in jurisdictions they govern. “You ought to look at the real corruption, it’s Democrat corruption,” he said.
- Trump again asserted, without substantiation, that the 2020 presidential contest—which he lost—had been manipulated against him. He has repeatedly challenged that outcome while alleging extensive voting fraud without credible evidence. “I ran and I won in 2016, and I won in 2020, too, but it didn’t work out that way,” Trump said. “It was a rigged election, but I won by millions of votes.”
Congressional control at stake
Polling ahead of the midterms indicated a challenging race for Republicans. Such elections have traditionally benefited the party not holding the White House, while forecasts suggested Republicans risked losing their House of Representatives majority and could also surrender the Senate.
A loss of either chamber would make it harder for Trump to pursue his legislative priorities during the final two years of his presidency. Democratic control would give the opposition greater ability to stop White House proposals and intensify oversight of the administration.
A Democratic majority could also open the door to congressional inquiries into Trump’s commercial interests and the business activities of people close to him. Democrats have signalled plans to review transactions carried out through the Trump family holding company since his return to the White House.
