Facing the prospect of an electoral defeat in congressional elections, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he won’t accept the blame if his party loses control of the House in November, arguing that his campaigning and endorsements have helped Republican candidates.
In a wide-ranging interview three weeks before Election Day, Mr. Trump said that he senses voter enthusiasm rivalling that in 2016. He also expressed cautious optimism that his most loyal supporters will vote even when he is not on the ballot.
Mr. Trump added: “And I will say that we have a very big impact. I don’t believe anybody’s ever had this kind of an impact. They would say that in the old days that if you got the support of a President or if you’ve got the support of somebody it would be nice to have, but it meant nothing, zero. Like literally zero. Some of the people I’ve endorsed have gone up 40 and 50 points just on the endorsement.”
Mr. Trump spoke on a range of subjects, accusing his long-time attorney Michael Cohen of lying under oath and flashing defiance when asked about the insult “Horseface” he hurled at Stormy Daniels. Asked if it was appropriate to insult a woman’s appearance, Mr. Trump responded, “You can take it any way you want.”
On the ongoing Russia investigation, Mr. Trump defended his son Donald Trump Jr. for a Trump Tower meeting with a Kremlin-connected lawyer offering damaging information about Democrat Hillary Clinton. He called his son a “good young guy” and said he did what any political aide would have done. Mr. Trump again cast doubt on climate change, suggesting, incorrectly, that the scientific community was evenly split on the existence of climate change and its causes.
Mr. Trump said he’d be seeking another term because there was “always more work to do”.
“The new motto is Keep America Great,” he said. “I don’t want somebody to destroy it because I can do a great job, but the wrong person coming in after me sitting right at this desk can destroy it very quickly if they don’t do the right thing. So no, I’m definitely running.”
