Donald Trump has said that he hopes to “survive” 2026 above all else, in a shockingly morbid reveal from the 79-year-old president.
Trump was asked during an interview with the ever-loyal One America News Network (OAN) about his “big plans” for the midterms next year, when the GOP will be fighting to retain control of the House and Senate.
Trump, who was the target of two assassination attempts in 2024, appeared to suggest he is concerned that someone may try to kill him again in the not-too-distant future.
“Yeah, I have big plans, I want to survive,” Trump said. “You look at what’s going on, it’s crazy. The rhetoric that these crazy Democrats are using is very dangerous, they made politics very dangerous.”
Trump’s fears about his own mortality follow a long-running period of concerns about the president’s health.
Trump, who is on course to be the oldest sitting U.S. president in history, is frequently spotted in public with heavy makeup covering large, unsightly bruises on his hand.
He also sports swollen cankles due to his chronic venous insufficiency, a common condition in men over 70 where weakened vein valves prevent blood from circulating properly in the legs.
Trump has also become increasingly open about concerns that he may not get into heaven once he dies. This includes admitting he desperately wants to broker an end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as it would improve his chances of getting into the pearly gates.
“I’m hearing I’m not doing well,” Trump told Fox News in August. “I hear I’m really at the bottom of the totem pole. If I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons.”
Trump even used his fears about the afterlife as a fundraising ploy while referencing the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, in which he suffered a minor injury to his ear.
“I want to try and get to Heaven,” Trump’s Super PAC wrote in a message to supporters. “I certainly wasn’t supposed to survive an assassin’s bullet—but by the grace of the almighty God, I did.”
Elsewhere in his interview, Trump expressed concern that the GOP will perform poorly in the 2026 midterms, as historically the ruling party suffers significant losses in nationwide races.
“The one thing that I worry about is that, if you look over many, many years—I don’t have the numbers—but the person that wins the presidency always seems to lose the midterms,” Trump said. “I don’t know why, it’s crazy. Even presidents that did well, and there have been some.”
The GOP will be particularly vulnerable in the House, where even losing just a few seats would allow Democrats to regain control of the lower chamber. Democrats face a greater challenge in the Senate, where they must secure a net gain of four seats to retake control of the upper chamber.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
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