Trump casts early midterm ballot in Florida as Democrats eye House control

The early vote

Donald Trump and Melania Trump cast early in-person ballots on Saturday, 24 October, at the Palm Beach County election office, where the couple are registered at their Mar-a-Lago home, 10 days before the midterm elections on 3 November. Trump spent the morning at a nearby golf course and wore a sticker reading 'I voted' when he went to the polling place. Asked by reporters whether he had voted for his own party, he answered 'Very much so'. After voting he travelled to Georgia for a campaign rally supporting the Republican candidates Mike Collins and Rick Jackson. At rallies before the vote, he had urged Republican supporters to cast ballots early, a shift from a practice he has long criticised.

Past positions on early and mail voting

Trump has at times called early voting 'stupid' and 'ridiculous', according to the New York Times, and has promoted baseless claims that mail voting is rife with fraud. El País reports that he voted by mail in the August 2026 primaries, despite saying that method is full of fraud and advising against using it. He tried without success to limit mail voting, signing an executive order that courts struck down. He has said he prefers to vote in person, though he is registered in Palm Beach.

Remarks to reporters

Speaking to reporters outside the building, Trump said the Republican Party was much weaker and smaller before he entered politics, according to El País. He recalled winning in 2016 and again falsely insisted that he won in 2020, even though he did not govern after that vote. El País notes that no police or judicial investigation has found evidence supporting his claim about 2020. Asked about corruption, a priority for voters, he said members of his party were blameless and pointed instead to what he called Democratic corruption. He also made unsupported claims of irregularities, saying Los Angeles, a Democratic stronghold, had invalid ballots.

What is at stake in the midterms

On 3 November, Americans elect the 435 members of the House of Representatives, who serve two-year terms, and about a third of the Senate. Several governors are also on the ballot. The president needs Congress to approve a series of decisions, such as budget measures, so the results directly shape how much he can govern. Polls show Democrats close to taking control of the House and with chances of winning a Senate majority, according to El País. Losing the House would sharply narrow his room to push his legislative agenda in the final years of his term and open the way for multiple congressional investigations, especially into business dealings of his family holding company while he has been in office.

Approval and the campaign

A Reuters/Ipsos poll put Trump's approval rating at 31%, the lowest level of his two terms. El País describes the party's outlook as bleak, with the president's popularity at record lows. Trump has not accepted his 2020 defeat, and the administration of Joe Biden followed. The early vote and the Georgia rally fall in the final stretch of a campaign that closes with the election on 3 November.