"Lose the Election? I Will Veto Everything!"... Trump's Defiance 1 Day Before Midterms

00:00 The Core Sentiment of These Midterms: "Judgment on the Administration"
01:26 How Are the Seat Battles Shaping Up?
02:08 What If Democrats Retake Congress, How Will Trump Respond?
03:02 Will Trump Just Take It Lying Down?


1. The Core Sentiment of These Midterms: "Judgment on the Administration"
Hello, I am Lee Hanseok. I am currently reporting (on October 29) from Chillicothe, a small city in Ohio, USA. We visited this place to cover President Trump and the fervor of the U.S. elections, with the U.S. midterm elections just days away. This election could completely alter the direction of state affairs and the political landscape of the United States for the next two years. Pitting all members of the House of Representatives and more than a third of the Senate against each other, this election also serves as voters' first report card on the second-term Trump administration as it enters its second year. However, recent polls show unusual signs. Driven by an explosion of public frustration over high inflation, the possibility of the opposition Democratic Party reclaiming Congress is growing increasingly higher. The core sentiment of voters regarding this election can be summed up in one phrase: a judgment on the administration. President Trump's approval ratings have recently slumped to the low 30 percent range. When voters are asked which party's candidate they intend to vote for, responses favoring the opposition U.S. Democratic Party hold a clear lead. The reason is simple: making a living has become harder. Every time voters go grocery shopping, pump gas at a gas station, or receive a heating bill, their grievances erupt. With energy prices fluctuating amid instability in the Middle East as well, voters are effectively asking what has improved in their wallets during the two years of the Trump administration.

2. How Are the Seat Battles Shaping Up?
Then, what does the actual battle for seats look like? The Democrats hold an advantageous position in the House of Representatives, which serves as the starting point for bills and budgets. Needing only a few more seats to flip the majority, the possibility of Democrats retaking the House is projected quite high as battlegrounds expand even into the Midwest and the South, which were traditionally Republican strongholds. On the other hand, the Senate remains completely shrouded in fog until the very end. Given that the seat margins are extremely tight, neck-and-neck races with differences of just 1 to 2 percentage points are unfolding in key battlegrounds such as Texas and Georgia. Ultimately, victory or defeat could come down to a margin of just one or two seats, depending on which side's supporters turn out in greater numbers at the polling booths.

3. What If Democrats Retake Congress, How Will Trump Respond?
If the Democrats retake Congress, how specifically do they plan to shake the Trump administration? The Democrats have two main cards: microscopic hearings and tightening the purse strings. First, if they become the majority party, the Democrats will monopolize all committee chairmanships. Using committee chair authority, they can issue congressional subpoenas to summon key White House officials to hearing rooms one after another. They intend to thoroughly scrutinize controversial executive orders, foreign military interventions, and personnel issues that have stirred debate so far. A more powerful weapon is the budget deliberation and finalization authority that grips the purse strings. Under the U.S. Constitution, Congress is the body that gives final approval on where to spend the nation's housekeeping funds. The calculation is that Congress will drastically slash the budget for core projects pushed by President Trump, such as large-scale undocumented immigrant deportation operations or the construction of a border wall, effectively tying his hands and feet.

4. Will Trump Just Take It Lying Down?
Then, will President Trump simply take it lying down? Not at all. President Trump left these remarks during a recent campaign rally: "If Congress puts up bills, I will veto them, veto them, and veto them again. I will reject them all."

[Donald Trump / U.S. President: I think Republicans are going to win. But if we lose, I'll use vetoes on every bill. If Republicans lose, veto, veto, veto, then the Democrats will come over and say, how can we fix this?]

The U.S. President possesses the veto power to send back bills passed by Congress. To neutralize this veto, a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate is required, but it is impossible for the Democrats to secure a two-thirds majority even if they become the majority party. Ultimately, President Trump's strategy is to veto bills led by the Democrats in droves to keep Congress in check, while steering state affairs through presidential executive orders that do not require congressional approval. At the same time, as a sense of crisis mounts, he has recently flown directly to Texas and Ohio—traditional Republican strongholds—appealing for the consolidation of the conservative base by claiming that Democrats will try to impeach him if he loses Congress. Ultimately, this midterm election stands at a crossroads: whether the Democrats will retake Congress to tie the hands of the Trump administration, or whether the Republicans will succeed in defense to continue Trump's strong drive in state affairs. If the Democrats win, American politics for the next two years is expected to plunge into an extreme deadlock where Democratic hearings and budget cuts collide head-on with Trump's indiscriminate vetoes.

Reported by Lee Hanseok | Produced by Shin Hee-suk | Video by Park Eun-ha | Video Editing by Ahn Jun-hyeok | Graphics by Lee Su-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.