Trump looks to life after the midterms

HOUSTON – President Donald Trump loves a rally. The bigger the crowds, the more he believes his increased presence on the campaign trail in recent weeks is generating “spirit” and brightening Republican prospects in what many predict will nevertheless be a rough midterm election for the GOP. As he flew to Houston on Monday for a rally to support Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, he proudly showed USA TODAY a livestream on an aide’s smartphone picturing thousands of supporters winding their way into the Toyota Center, home of Houston Rockets. “I have the same feeling that I had in 2016,” he said in an interview. “I think we’re going to do well.” Trump has repeatedly expressed optimism that Republicans would not only hold their majority in the Senate but perhaps expand it – in large part because of his events in big venues in battleground states including Montana, Nevada, North Dakota and Indiana. By Election Day, he likely will have held more than 30 rallies and fundraisers in the final five weeks of the campaign, a number exceeding the mid-term activity of predecessors Barack Obama and George W. Bush. But as he embarks on nearly nonstop campaigning, Trump is also looking ahead to the possibility of having to reckon with Democratic control of at least one chamber of Congress – an outcome that will almost certainly stall his legislative agenda and could also put his very presidency at risk.

Confident in GOP chances at polls

In a wide-ranging interview conducted as his plane began to descend into Houston, the president touched on issues that could play into the midterms, but none may carry as much political weight as how voters feel about the president himself. The president’s approval rating has been underwater in major polls since August, but he remains popular with Republicans despite controversies and turnover that have beset his White House. While he expresses confidence in the GOP’s chances, he’s also had to look to the possibility of a divided Congress. Trump was less bullish on the House than the Senate, though he said there was “a very good chance” Republicans might maintain control of both. “The map” wasn’t as friendly in the House, he said, adding that whichever party won a majority was likely to have only a narrow one – and that he could do business with a House controlled by Democrats. One possible area of agreement with Democrats, Trump said: an infrastructure bill. He said he would be willing to negotiate a plan for publicly funded infrastructure projects, not the public-private combination that was a point of controversy with Democrats in the administration’s previous infrastructure plan. That idea died slowly over the course of his first year in office, failing to capture much attention from either party. “If the Democrats get in, I think I will be able to work with them,” he said. “They want infrastructure. So do I.”

Little talk of looking ahead

Many other areas of Trump’s postelection presidency remained murky. He declined to discuss whether Attorney General Jeff Sessions or Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein would be leaving the administration after the midterm elections. Many GOP allies of the president have predicted one or both will be gone after votes are counted, bringing to a close the often publicly awkward relationship Trump has had with his top Justice Department appointees. Another factor that could have significant consequences for the second half of Trump’s first term: The ongoing probe in Russian influence in the 2016 election. Trump said he had no idea what special counsel Robert Mueller would do in his investigation. “All I can tell you is I did nothing wrong,” he said.