Trump Tells CBS He Has 'Tremendous Powers' Even if Democrats Win Congress
In a phone interview before polls closed, the president cited the Supreme Court's Slaughter ruling and called his veto the 'ultimate power' against a Democratic-led House or Senate.
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he is prepared to veto legislation from a Democratic-controlled Congress and believes recent Supreme Court decisions give him broad power to run the federal government whatever the election results. He made the comments in an exclusive phone interview with CBS News before the polls closed.
"I have the ultimate power — it's called 'veto,'" Trump said when asked about the prospect of Democrats winning the House or the Senate. He said he welcomes the nickname "Mr. Veto" and would use the tool against Democratic bills if necessary. Pollsters have predicted GOP losses, and CBS News polling in late October suggested Republicans were on track to lose the House.
Trump also pointed to Trump v. Slaughter, a Supreme Court decision earlier this year that let him fire Rebecca Slaughter, a member of the Federal Trade Commission. The 6-3 ruling, he said, lets him exert sweeping control over many federal agencies, boards and commissions regardless of who holds majorities on Capitol Hill. "We won the Slaughter case and the Slaughter case gives the president tremendous powers that it never had before," Trump said.
The comments came as Democrats were drawing early wins. Roy Cooper flipped North Carolina's Senate seat, Jon Ossoff held Georgia and Chris Pappas won New Hampshire. Republicans hold a 218-214 House majority, so Democrats need to flip only three seats. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters Democrats "are on the verge" of retaking the chamber but "take nothing for granted," and said the first person he would call after the election is his mother. Asked whether he would reach out to Trump, he said, "we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."
Senior administration officials gave CBS News a more subdued picture of the mood inside the White House. Trump planned to watch returns with Cabinet members, staff and advisers in the East Room and State Dining Room, in what officials described as a "low-key reception" rather than a party. Several sources said the West Wing was muted and that staff were already bracing for the president's anger and frustration in the days ahead.
Those officials said the White House has accepted that it will lose the House barring an unexpected shift, and that it is worried about most of the tight Senate races. They pointed to internal data showing strong Republican turnout, particularly in Florida and Iowa. One official acknowledged that some Republican candidates could have been stronger, naming Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and South Carolina's Senate candidate.
On the question of the results themselves, CBS News reported that Trump recently said he would accept the outcome if it was "honest." Senior officials said he is not considering declaring martial law or pushing officials not to certify results, but that they will review the returns for "irregularities." Trump has said without evidence that American elections are vulnerable to being rigged and stolen, a claim election experts reject.
If Democrats do win either chamber, the practical effect would be a Congress able to hold hearings, issue subpoenas and send bills to a president who has just told voters he will reject them. His reliance on the Slaughter ruling suggests the fight over how much power he holds over independent agencies will continue to shape the next two years regardless of who controls the House.
