Midterm elections: Trump looms large over 2026 vote as Democrats eye gains

To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Cover image: © France 24 04:39 Issued on: 21/09/2026 - 14:51 With the US midterm elections now just six weeks away, we’ll speak to our Washington correspondent Fraser Jackson about whether President Donald Trump could help or hurt his party’s chances. Polls have pointed to what some are calling a “blue wave”, with Democrats potentially regaining control of the House, while the Senate race remains more uncertain. Trump has ramped up campaigning, including spending heavily on advertising and proposing $5,000 payments to voters who support Republicans. But with his approval ratings under pressure amid the war in Iran and the Middle East, and rising oil, gasoline and commodity prices compared with before he took office, the political landscape could still shift significantly in the coming weeks. Keywords for this article