President Donald Trump cast his ballot in the midterm elections on Saturday, telling reporters he voted straight-ticket Republican in Florida before departing for a campaign rally in Georgia.
Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrived together at their polling location at the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections office in West Palm Beach. The arrival followed a morning spent by the president at his nearby golf course. Wearing an “I Voted” sticker, Trump was asked by reporters whether he voted a strict party line. “Very much so,” he replied.
While at the polling site, Trump addressed several national and political developments. He defended a controversial campaign advertisement from Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. The ad has drawn intense public blowback for featuring the estranged mother of Democratic rival Dr. Amy Acton, who lost custody of her children after her husband and the children’s stepfather was indicted for raping Acton when she was 12 years old.
Trump also addressed his administration’s legal strategy regarding the U.S. Senate race in Alaska. He defended his decision to direct his administration to file a lawsuit blocking the certification of the race if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses. The dispute centers on the inclusion of a second candidate also named Dan Sullivan on the ballot.
Turning to foreign policy, Trump commented on the ongoing conflict involving Iran. “I may have to finish it off. Or maybe they’ll make a deal, but I’m not sure. Either way, we win,” he said.
First Lady Melania Trump also fielded questions from reporters at the polling location. She was asked about potential travel to Ukraine following reports that she had brokered a ceasefire in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky, an agreement aimed at facilitating humanitarian aid delivery and civilian evacuations. Asked if she plans to visit Ukraine, she told reporters, “We will see.”
In Florida’s state-level races, Trump has thrown his support behind Republican Rep. Byron Donalds. Donalds is running to succeed term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis against David Jolly, a candidate who transitioned from Republican to independent and later to Democrat. Additionally, Trump has campaigned for Republican Sen. Ashley Moody, who is running to serve the remaining two years of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s former Senate seat against progressive state lawmaker Angie Nixon.
