Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff vowed Friday that his party will decisively “rebuke” President Trump if Democrats win control of both chambers of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections. Speaking at a rally in Georgia, Ossoff pledged that a Democratic-led Congress would go far beyond simply restoring checks and balances on the Trump administration.
“Our answer will be massive. Our answer will be decisive,” Ossoff said at the event. “We won’t just restore checks and balances for next two years. We will rebuke him so decisively that no president will dare try this kind of brazen corruption and abuse again for centuries.”
Ossoff, who is running for reelection against Republican Rep. Mike Collins in Georgia, has frequently criticized Trump during the president’s second term, particularly over concerns about Trump’s financial dealings while in office. During his Friday remarks, the Georgia Democrat also went after Trump for claiming that China had accessed U.S. voter rolls ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
“The same man whose grievances stirred up that violent mob that sacked the Capitol, still cannot let go of his shame and humiliation at having been dealt that defeat by voters here in Georgia and across the country,” Ossoff said, referring to the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. “Instead of focusing on the nation’s needs, as always, he nurses his grievances.”
Ossoff sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee and has made Trump accountability a centerpiece of his reelection campaign. The first-term senator has argued that Trump’s continued focus on the 2020 election represents an attempt to avoid accountability for his actions while in office.
The likelihood of Ossoff’s scenario playing out remains uncertain. According to Decision Desk HQ, Democrats have a 42 percent chance of winning back the Senate majority in November. To flip the chamber, Democrats must retain the 47 seats they currently hold and flip four seats held by Republicans.
Democrats also face a more favorable map in the House, where Decision Desk HQ gives the party a 61 percent chance of taking back the majority. The Cook Political Report rates Ossoff’s own Georgia race as a Democratic lean, though his seat remains among the most competitive in the nation.
Sources
- The Hill — Ossoff’s Friday statement on Democratic plans if they win the midterms, direct quotes, election context, and Decision Desk HQ polling data
