White House is also crafting plans to advance Trump’s agenda through executive actions, focusing on immigration, tariffs, and federal spending
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US President Donald Trump has said he is prepared to rely on his veto powers and strike deals with Democrats if they take control of Congress in Tuesday’s midterm elections. “I guess I’ll become Mr. Veto,” Trump told the New York Post in an interview on Sunday.
“I’m not going to let them ruin it,” he added, suggesting he would initially block legislation passed by a Democratic-controlled Congress before eventually reaching compromises.
“They’ll be sending stuff up. You veto it. And eventually, after a month or two of getting all vetoed, they’re just wasting [time], they come over, and you make a deal,” Trump said. “I think that probably would happen, but hopefully we don’t have to worry about that.”
The remarks come as opinion polls point to a possible Democratic takeover of the House of Representatives, while the race for control of the Senate remains closely contested.
“I guess I’ll become Mr. Veto.”
President Trump lays out his strategy for dealing with a potential Democratic-controlled Congress in an exclusive interview with Miranda Devine.
Trump says he would veto legislation before eventually negotiating compromises, while expressing hope Republicans maintain control after Tuesday’s midterms.
— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 1, 2026
Democrats need a net gain of four seats in both chambers to overturn the Republicans’ narrow majorities of 218-214 in the House and 53-47 in the Senate.
Trump has spent the past month campaigning across the country to help Republicans retain control of Congress. However, his administration has also been preparing for the possibility of a Democratic-controlled legislature from 2027.
According to a report by Reuters quoting a White House official and two people familiar with the discussions, senior officials have been working since April on plans to advance key parts of Trump’s agenda through executive powers without congressional approval.
Deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and budget director Russell Vought have been working with the White House Counsel’s Office to identify potential executive actions covering immigration, tariffs, housing costs and federal spending.
White House counsel Will Scharf and his team are also examining what Trump can legally do independently, where he could push the limits of his authority and how the administration could defend those decisions in court, the White House official said.
Among the measures under consideration are additional tariffs on imports of critical minerals and wind turbines, tighter visa rules for international students and temporary foreign workers, and steps aimed at reducing housing and construction costs.
Federal agencies have submitted proposals and legal assessments of measures the administration could pursue unilaterally, one of the people familiar with the plans said.
Vought is also examining how the administration could use funds already approved by Congress to advance its priorities. He is considering changes to federal grant rules that would give political appointees greater influence over which government programmes receive taxpayer money, the sources said.
Trump has been briefed on the preparations and participated in discussions, the White House official said.
What Could a Democratic-Controlled Congress Mean for Trump?
A Democratic takeover would give the party greater power to investigate the administration, block legislation and challenge Trump’s spending priorities. However, the president would retain considerable authority over trade, foreign policy and the federal bureaucracy.
Trump has already relied heavily on executive powers during his second term, imposing sweeping tariffs, intensifying immigration enforcement and shrinking the federal workforce without seeking new legislation from Congress.
He has also pursued foreign-policy objectives, including the war against Iran, through presidential authority.
A major exception was his tax and spending package, which was passed by the Republican-controlled Congress and signed into law in July 2025.
“President Trump in the last two years has basically ignored Congress and tried to do as much as possible through executive orders and executive power,” Nathan Gonzales, editor of the non-partisan political analysis publication Inside Elections, told Reuters. “I think he will only continue if there are Democratic majorities,” he added.
A Democratic-controlled Senate could also block Trump’s judicial and executive-branch nominees, including any potential Supreme Court appointment. “I would anticipate they will be very reluctant to approve any of the president’s appointments,” said Andrew Busch, a public policy professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.