US midterm elections: A referendum on President Donald Trump?

Pretend I'm on the ballot has been a regular rallying cry from Donald Trump. The first time was on the 9th of September in front of his supporters in Dallas. He even promised a $5,000 check for every American adult if the Republicans kept control of the Senate and House of Representatives. But this Tuesday, his name won't appear on any ballots. Americans don't vote for a president, but for those who create and pass federal laws. The midterms happen every two years, in the middle of the president's four-year term. All 435 members of the House, the lower chamber of Congress, will be elected. 35 of 100 seats in the Senate, the upper chamber, will also be up for grabs. And 36 states will vote for their governors. The Republicans currently hold a majority in both the House and Senate, but a slim one. The Democrats only need to win a handful of seats in both to turn the situation on its head. And the current climate favors the opposition, with the cost of living weighing on a lot of Americans. Trump began his second term with an approval rating of just over 50 percent. That now stands at about 37. The stakes are high for the president. If he loses the House, his bills could be blocked. The Democrats would chair all the committees and have the power to investigate Trump's administration. They could even launch another impeachment proceeding against him, though the Senate would have the final words. If he loses the Senate, his power will be weakened for his last two years in office. The Senate could refuse his nominations. History certainly goes against him. Since 1938, the president's party has almost always lost seats in the House after midterms. In 2018, during Trump's first term, the Republicans lost 41 seats and the majority in the House. On Tuesday, Trump's name won't be on the ballot, but he is the one Americans will be judging.