US President Donald Trump voiced clear frustration about the upcoming midterm elections. He worried openly that his Republican Party might lose control of either the House of Representatives or the Senate. Trump shared these thoughts during an interview with Reuters from the Oval Office on January 14.
Midterm Election Concerns
The President pointed to historical patterns to explain his anxiety. He noted that the ruling party typically loses seats during the second year of a presidency. "It's some deep psychological thing, but when you win the presidency, you don't win the midterms," Trump stated. He went further, boasting about his accomplishments. Trump claimed he had achieved so much that "when you think of it, we shouldn't even have an election."
Defending Militarized City Deployments
Trump also addressed the controversial deployment of militarized officers to US cities. This topic gained urgency after a recent fatal shooting by an ICE agent. Last week, during a federal operation in Minneapolis, agent shot and killed resident Renee Nicole Good.
While Trump called the incident "a very unfortunate incident" and expressed some sympathy, he firmly stood by his decision. The President made it clear he would continue sending armed agents into American cities. He asserted that his actions had removed "thousands of murderers out of our country." However, no evidence supports this claim.
Greenland Ambitions and Poll Dismissal
Trump repeatedly brushed aside concerns about his desire to control Greenland. When informed that a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed limited American support for taking over Greenland, Trump dismissed the survey as "fake."
The US President has consistently asserted his wish to control Greenland at any cost. Greenland's government has firmly rejected this demand. Trump argues that Greenland, a Danish autonomous territory, holds strategic importance for national security.
Federal Reserve Investigation
When asked about Senate Republicans pushing back against an investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, Trump responded bluntly. "I don't care," he said. He also dismissed concerns about potential harm from White House interference in the Fed.
Federal prosecutors in Washington DC opened the probe against Powell. They are focusing on the Fed's long-running headquarters renovation. The investigation examines whether Powell made misleading statements to Congress about the project's scale and cost.
Economic Claims and Iran Situation
Trump addressed Americans' worries about high prices by reiterating his economic narrative. He claimed the economy was the strongest "in history" and said he needed to do a better job promoting his achievements. He referred to a specially curated thick binder listing his accomplishments in office.
On Iran, Trump said he believed the crackdown on protesters was easing. He did not specify where this information came from. It remained unclear whether he still considered ordering a US military strike on the country.
Despite repeated threats against the Iranian regime, Trump remained noncommittal about desired outcomes. He refused to call for the ouster of Iran's rulers. He also declined to back exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi as a potential future leader.
"I don't know how he'd play within his own country, and we really aren't up to that point yet," Trump said. "We have to play it day by day." Trump has previously called Pahlavi "seems very nice" but expressed doubt about whether he could gain enough support in Iran to come to power.
