Trump Defends Record as Voters Head to Polls in 2026 Midterm Elections

President Donald Trump appeared on the "Fox & Friends" program on Tuesday morning, defending his administration’s actions on immigration, the conflict with Iran and tariff policy. He told viewers that the country had improved, saying, "We have to keep America great. We're great now. We were terrible two years ago."

Voting began across the nation, with early voters in Gaithersburg, Maryland, expressing hopes for political change and concerns about taxes and the country's future. Maryland voter Heather Mullican told ANI she was excited about the elections and hoped they would bring significant changes.

The U.S. Justice Department announced the deployment of 1,000 election monitors and observers to all 50 states, describing it as the largest monitoring effort in the agency’s history, roughly three times the number used in the previous midterm election.

Polls released by various outlets projected that Democrats are likely to win the House of Representatives and could gain seats in the Senate, potentially limiting the president’s legislative agenda and prompting investigations into his administration. Analysts noted that voter sentiment appears to be shifting against the Republican Party amid concerns over living costs and the ongoing conflict with Iran.

The midterm elections are being closely watched as a test of the president’s second term, with several forecasts indicating Democratic advantages in multiple Senate races, including Texas, Ohio, North Carolina, Georgia and Michigan, while Republicans are favored in Iowa and Florida.