President Donald Trump closed the midterm campaign on Monday, November 2, 2026, with a promise that is already drawing sharp reaction: he said he would consider preemptive pardons for Elon Musk and other White House aides if Democrats win control of the House and launch investigations into his administration.
What Trump said on the podcast
In an interview on the New York Post's "Pod Force One" podcast, which aired on Monday, host Miranda Devine raised the prospect of Democrats seeking to arrest Musk, seize his assets, or target people who worked with him. Trump replied that his team would have to protect those people, saying, in short, that he would act if he believed it was necessary.
Asked directly whether he would issue preemptive pardons, he answered: "I would if I needed to, sure." He pointed to former President Joe Biden's preemptive pardons at the end of his term and to his own pardons of roughly 1,500 people connected to the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot on the first day of his second term, saying, "I did it for J6."
The comments matter because Democrats are strong favourites to retake the House in Tuesday's elections. If they do, they would control the committees that can open investigations. Democrats have signalled they could examine Musk's work leading the government-cutting Department of Government Efficiency, his companies' federal contracts, and his role in Ukraine's access to the Starlink satellite service, which is operated by his company SpaceX. Musk spent nearly $290 million supporting Trump in 2024 and, according to the New York Times, has poured $474 million into boosting Republicans in the 2026 midterms.
The final campaign pitch
For his closing argument, Trump chose a speech at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington on Monday afternoon, capping a weekend of rallies in battleground states. At a Sunday rally he told supporters, "We're going to win," even as polls point to a difficult night for Republicans.
An NBC News poll released on Sunday found 60% disapproving of the president's performance, with particular concern over high prices linked to his eight-month war against Iran. A New York Times poll tracker put his approval at 36%, with 61% disapproving, described as the lowest for any president heading into a midterm election in 80 years. The Times/Siena final poll showed Democratic candidates leading in all seven of the most competitive seats surveyed, though five were within the margin of error.
The Michigan twist
One of the weekend's biggest surprises came in Michigan's Senate race, where Democratic Representative Haley Stevens endorsed Republican candidate Mike Rogers over the Democratic nominee, Abdul El-Sayed. Trump was quick to praise Stevens for the move. The endorsement has upended a race Democrats had felt increasingly confident about, and reports say staff departures followed inside the Stevens camp.
Early voting has already been heavy: more than 54 million ballots had been cast before Election Day, according to reports on Monday. All 435 House seats and 35 of the Senate's 100 seats are on the ballot on November 3.
Sources: USA Today, People, Philstar / Agence France-Presse, Times Now News
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