Democratic congressman says Trump is already interfering in US midterms

A Democratic congressman has warned that President Donald Trump is already seeking to interfere in the forthcoming US midterms, and urged voters to deliver a resounding result that rejects chaos and high costs. In a television interview, the congressman framed the election, now less than three weeks away, as a choice between the status quo of Trump's chaos, high costs and corruption, and a different direction.

He said the stakes were about stopping the bleeding after more than 20 months of an administration that had brought chaos abroad and higher costs at home. He cited Trump's war of choice with Iran, saying it had driven up costs by $265 billion, or about $2,000 a household, and noted mortgage rates at 7 per cent, which he said made it harder for people to build wealth and own a home.

The interview turned to Democratic hopes of flipping the House and taking the Senate. The host noted a warning from the UK's former ambassador to Georgia that a Democratic win could make Trump a lame duck president and perhaps more unpredictable, not less. The congressman called Trump an agent of chaos and pointed to vanity projects such as a reflecting pool in Washington and building ballrooms, as well as abandoning allies. Asked whether Trump could go further after the midterms, including with a strike on Iran, he said Trump often used head fakes, distractions and uncertainty to draw attention to himself.

He said Congress would need to drive accountability, while also addressing affordability. He predicted a vote against those interests from people across the country and said Democrats and Republicans would have to come together and push back. Public opinion and sentiment, he added, drive everything, and the work may just be beginning.

On impeachment, the host asked whether Democrats would move quickly if they won control of the House. The congressman said nothing was on the table and nothing was off the table. He said lawmakers had to walk and chew gum: deal with the immediate affordability crisis while pursuing oversight and transparency into what he said was tens of billions of dollars of enrichment by the Trump family and related entities. He also linked progress on the war in Iran to lowering gas prices and helping people afford groceries, housing and utilities.

The final question focused on election integrity. The host raised alarms that Trump might interfere if he thought he was losing, including through the Insurrection Act, fresh voter fraud claims, or refusing to seat elected candidates. The congressman said he had deep and unyielding faith in local and state election officials. But he added that the president was already seeking to interfere, from constant challenges to mail balloting to a law enforcement agency seeking records that no federal administration had ever seen. The way to overcome that, he said, was a big turnout and a resounding result that delivered a mandate for change and an end to high costs and Trump's chaos.