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President Trump on Thursday said he expects Republicans will do “fantastically” in the 2026 midterm elections.
“You know, in presidential races, they say when you win the presidency, usually the midterms don’t go well,” Trump said at an event with GOP governors in Washington. “I think we’re going to do great.”
“I think we’re going to really increase our margins by a lot,” the president predicted.
Trump, 78, revealed that he ordered his staff to hit the phones the morning after his victory over former Vice President Kamala Harris and start fundraising for 2026.
“We raised $608 million in three weeks. Can you believe that?” Trump said.
The commander in chief suggested that if he could run for a third term in the White House he would use the money to fund that campaign, but people “tell me I’m not allowed to run.”
“So we’ve got that money, and I got to spend it somewhere … if I can’t spend it on me, I guess that means I’m going to be spending it on some of my friends, right?” Trump told the GOP governors. “A lot of my friends.”
The president said he intends to “keep bugging” GOP donors ahead of the midterm elections to “build up” the party’s war chest.
“I think we’re going to do fantastically,” Trump said of the 2026 races. “I think the midterms are going to be a big, a big surprise.”
After the 2018 midterm elections, during Trump’s first term, Republicans gained seats in the Senate but lost their House majority and several governorships to the Democrats.
Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate. Democrats would need to win back at least four seats in 2026 to retake the upper chamber.
Of the 35 seats up for grabs in 2026, 22 are held by Republicans.
In the House of Representatives, all 435 seats will be up for election in two years and Republicans hold a narrow three-seat majority.
