'Gridlock will be the word of the day' if Democrats win the midterms, says Republican strategist Matt Klink

And now, America is heading into a crucial political test today, and for Donald Trump, the stakes could hardly be higher. The economy, immigration, and Trump's own popularity have been dominating the midterm election campaign. So is this a referendum on the president? And what happens to the Republican Party if voters turn against him? Let's bring in Republican strategist and owner and president of consultancy firm Klink Campaigns, Matt Klink, who joins us from Los Angeles. Good morning, or rather good evening. Great to have you on. Thank you. Good morning. So with Donald Trump's approval ratings at 30%, is he a liability for Republican candidates in today's elections? Well, let's put it this way. The Republicans were always going to face headwinds heading into this election cycle. The party that holds power, his party tends to lose 22 seats in the House at a minimum. So that would give the Democrats a strong majority in the House. But Donald Trump's unpopularity that you just pointed to, that's a further drag. And the affordability issue, The war with Iraq. And the tariffs are the three main issues that have really caused Republicans across the country to really struggle this election cycle. You mentioned the tariffs. Traditionally, the economy is one of the biggest factors in midterm elections. Why should Americans give Republicans another mandate if they remain unhappy about the cost of living? Well, I think that's the whole point of what the election is ultimately going to be fought on is, you know, look, the memories of Biden and Harris are not that far in the rearview mirror when we did have 9% inflation under Joe Biden and everything cost more. And Donald Trump promised that he was going to bring those numbers down. And some are down, but frankly, a lot of them aren't down enough. And some are actually up like gasoline prices. And I think the voters are going to take that. Anger out on Republican candidates across the country tomorrow. If Democrats win back one or both chambers today, would this mark the death knell for the Republican legislative agenda? And what would happen to the Republican Party then? Well, the Republican Party itself is absolutely strong. Don't forget, Don't forget, you know. Donald Trump is still the president for two more years. I do think that if the Democrats take one or both houses, it will certainly put the squash on any Republican agenda for the last two years of the president's term, but frankly, that happens every time. Party, the party switch power. So, you know, again, Donald Trump will rule by executive order and veto. And if the Democrats win one or both, they're not going to win by massive majorities. So I would think gridlock will be the word of the day for 2027 and 2028. Yeah. Trump has said he'd be Mr. Veto in that case and then maybe strike deals. Now, Democrats are already threatening investigations into the Trump administration. Should Republicans be worried about subpoenas, hearings and potentially damaging revelations? Well, I think there always is the possibility. I mean, look, when your party controls the executive and the legislative branches, let's just say that the oversight responsibility that Congress has isn't a top priority. It's moving the president's agenda forward. Now that the House and if the Senate goes Democrat, the Senate, they will exert that oversight. And that means He's holding hearings on the. The Iran war, on the tariffs, on some of the president's finances. So yeah, there will be some revelations and some things that will be quite shocking. Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if the House impeached the president for a third time. It's doubtful that they will get the requisite two-thirds vote in the Senate to formalize that impeachment. And don't forget, Donald Trump's already been impeached twice, and it didn't hurt him. He got reelected for office. All right, Matt Klink, political consultant of Republican Strategies. Thank you so much for your insights.