Trump refuses to rule out insurrection act ahead of November midterms

President Donald Trump has not ruled out invoking the Insurrection Act or declaring a national emergency around the November midterm elections.

Trump made the remark in an interview with Time published Thursday, when asked about the limits of his presidential power.

“I’m not committing to anything,” Trump said. “We’re going to see how it plays out in court.”

The Hill reports that White House advisers have already considered how to respond if Democrats reclaim either or both chambers of Congress. One official said the administration will “be forced to think more bipartisan.”

Trump has warned that Democrats would attempt to impeach him for a third time if they win either chamber. He dismissed unfavorable polling for him and other Republicans as fake.

The president has threatened to use the Insurrection Act before. In June 2025, he said he would “certainly” invoke it over anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles, and repeated the claim about similar demonstrations in Portland, Oregon, in October.

The act was last invoked by former President George H.W. Bush in May 1992 during the Los Angeles riots.