Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump cast their early votes this Saturday at the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections office in Florida, just over a week ahead of the midterm elections scheduled for November 3.
The president arrived at the polling station around 4:00 PM local time along with his wife, and when asked by the press if he had voted for Republican candidates, he replied with a single word: "Very much."
After casting his vote, Trump headed to Perry, Georgia, to participate in a campaign rally supporting Republican candidates, including Senate hopeful Mike Collins and gubernatorial candidate Rick Perry.
Before boarding the plane, the leader boasted to reporters about the intensity of his schedule: "I'm going to Georgia. It's a challenge. What I've done is not normal."
In the same appearance, he openly acknowledged the difficulties his party is facing: "An incumbent president always gets poor results in midterm elections."
Despite this, he insisted that no president has run a campaign as intense as his: "There is no president who has campaigned like I have. I have campaigned very, very hard. I would like to continue because we passed some incredible legislation."
The electoral context is unfavorable for the Republicans. Polls show Trump's approval rating between 33% and 39%, and Democrats lead Republicans in the nationwide generic ballot by about ten points, according to various surveys. The Cook Political Report projects a Democratic gain of between five and 15 seats in the House of Representatives, which could cost Republicans their current majority of 218 to 214 seats.
Trump's vote this Saturday is noteworthy because it contrasts with his historical criticisms of early and mail-in voting, which he has described as fraudulent. However, in this campaign, he has actively urged his supporters in Florida and Michigan to cast their ballots before Election Day in order to mobilize his base.
Nationally, early voting had already exceeded 26.8 million ballots by the end of this day, with Democrats accounting for 47.4% of the registered votes by affiliation compared to 29.2% for Republicans.
During the post-vote meeting with the press, Trump also addressed the situation with Iran: "We are thinking about it, and maybe tomorrow. Do you really think I'm going to tell you if I'm going to do it? There's also a chance that we could have a nice, big, beautiful deal. They want to make a deal, but the problem is, will they keep it?"
The president also took the opportunity to praise Melania's role in diplomacy related to the war in Ukraine. The First Lady was credited by the White House with having contributed to establishing a local humanitarian ceasefire in Oleshki, a city on the front line with about 6,000 people trapped, announced on Friday and set to come into effect on October 27.
"I believe she is doing better than the professionals right now. She has achieved a ceasefire. This has to do with children and people, elderly people," Trump stated about his wife.
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