Trump Says GOP Gave a Strong Shot Ahead of Midterms

President Donald Trump told supporters Monday that Republicans "gave this a very strong shot" in the 2026 midterms, acknowledging a pattern in which the party holding the White House typically loses seats in off-year elections, according to NBC News.

What Did Trump Say About GOP's Chances?

Speaking at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in his final major address before Tuesday's vote, Trump said: "Now, that doesn't happen, because usually, whoever the sitting president is, Republican or Democrat, good or bad, good president, great president, bad — for some reason, the sitting president doesn't win the midterms, but we gave this a very strong shot," according to NBC News's account of the speech.

He called Tuesday's election "the most important midterm, I believe, in our lifetime" and said "if the people that voted for me and voted in the last election ... just a good portion of them, we will win in a landslide."

Why Does History Favor the Opposition Party in Midterms?

Trump's remarks described rather than disputed a long-running trend: the party controlling the presidency has historically lost ground in midterm elections. He framed the pattern as near-automatic, telling the crowd it happens "for some reason" tied to whoever occupies the White House rather than to specific policies, per the NBC transcript.

What Else Did Trump Say About Democratic Candidates?

Much of the speech targeted the opposing party's slate. Trump said the "Democrat Party has nominated the most extreme and dangerous slate of candidates in American history," NBC reported. He also claimed some candidates were jihadists or members of the Muslim Brotherhood — a characterization NBC's report identified as false. He said Democratic candidates were "all committed to the same radical agenda: open borders, raising your taxes by trillions of dollars, taking away your guns, transgender mutilation of your children, abolishing oil and natural gas, sending energy costs skyrocketing and opening the floodgates to millions of migrants," according to the outlet's account of his remarks.

What Economic Numbers Did Trump Cite?

Before turning to the midterms, Trump pointed to economic data, saying "personal incomes are the highest in history" and "the poverty rate is at an all-time record low," per NBC. He argued those gains would be squandered if "people that hate our country" won Tuesday's election.

What Was the Occasion for the Speech?

The remarks came as Trump announced the reopening of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool following months of repairs, part of renovation projects he has ordered around Washington during his second term, NBC News reported. A White House official had billed the address in advance as Trump's "closing message" ahead of Election Day, though much of the speech focused on the Reflecting Pool itself before shifting to midterm politics.

What Happens Next?

Polls open Tuesday in the 2026 midterm elections, with control of Congress at stake. Trump's own framing — that his party "gave this a very strong shot" against a historical headwind — sets the expectations frame heading into results that will determine whether Republicans hold their majorities. Read NBC News's full report.