Trump Leaves Open Possibility of Invoking Insurrection Act Ahead of Midterms

President Trump has floated the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act, a law that allows the deployment of the military in response to riots or large-scale protests. Donald Trump did not rule out declaring a national emergency through the Insurrection Act ahead of the midterm elections (congressional elections held midway through a president's term). He made the remarks in an interview with the U.S. newsweekly Time conducted at the White House on October 28 (local time) and published on November 1.

During the interview, Trump was asked whether he would rule out declaring a national emergency before the midterms unless widespread violence broke out in the streets. "I don't rule anything out and I don't rule anything in. We'll see," he replied. He also asked whether the question referred to the Insurrection Act.

This is not the first time Trump has hinted at declaring a national emergency. In an interview with the right-wing outlet Real America's Voice released on August 11, he was asked whether he would be willing to declare a national security emergency over the elections. "Stranger things have happened in this world. I'll leave it at that," he said at the time.

The comments come against the backdrop of the Republican Party's unfavorable position ahead of the November midterms. With Trump's approval rating declining, Republican candidates in the midterms have been publicly distancing themselves from him. Mike Rogers, the Republican Senate candidate in the battleground state of Michigan, argued that the war with Iran "needs to end quickly."

Whether Trump will actually invoke the Insurrection Act remains undecided. However, with the midterm election day set for November 3 — a vote that will shape the balance of power in Congress for the latter half of his term — his remarks are emerging as a wildcard in the election landscape.