President Donald Trump gave a shoutout to Russell ‘Russ’ Vought, referring to ‘big surprises’ in the coming weeks, and sparking fears about the midterm elections. Trump's reference to Vought came when he was speaking in Maryland, at a time the Republican is facing fire from both sides over comments made in Nebraska where he suggested Iran should be allowed to ‘take out’ Los Angeles and San Diego.
Trump, after mentioning Vought, said “we have some big surprises coming up in a few weeks, right Russ? He's gonna be one of the important people in the history of our country.”
His remarks have caused panic ahead of the midterms, where the Republicans will look to hold on to their seats while Democrats look to expand their presence. As the US heads into the midterm elections on November 3, issues like rising fuel prices, ICE activity across the country, and the Iran war are expected to be on voters' minds, not to mention the Epstein File fiasco.
Trump's Russ Vought remarks spark fears about midterms
Deep Dive
What does Trump's reference to Russ Vought imply for the midterm elections?
How might Russ Vought's role influence Trump's agenda during the midterms?
Why are some people worried about election integrity in relation to Project 2025 and Russ Vought?
Several people expressed fears of interference in the midterm elections. Melanie D'Arrigo. executive director of the New York Health Campaign, wrote “Russ Vought, in his official capacity, has the power to interfere in elections by replacing nonpartisan election officials with loyalists, cut critical funding, and block independent election oversight. Trump wants to rig the election, and he’s shouting the quiet part out loud.”
{{/usCountry}}Several people expressed fears of interference in the midterm elections. Melanie D'Arrigo. executive director of the New York Health Campaign, wrote “Russ Vought, in his official capacity, has the power to interfere in elections by replacing nonpartisan election officials with loyalists, cut critical funding, and block independent election oversight. Trump wants to rig the election, and he’s shouting the quiet part out loud.”
{{/usCountry}}Another added “Is this dude planning to help trump stop the midterms? Project 2025 has a roadmap. This dude maybe the guy we need to watch. One of the most dangerous man in the US today.”
Yet another said “Vought has gotten by too easy. He’s the one diverting the congressional funds to what trump wants as opposed to what Congress legally allocated the monies for.”
Who is Russ Vought and what is Project 2025?
Vought is director of the Office of Management and Budget since February 2025. He, along with Stephen Miller, had become two of Trump's most critical enforcers by the end of the president's first term in office, Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan noted in their book ‘Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump’.
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Vought, Trump's budget director, has been described as a man of action. The book on Trump's terms in office notes “when others had told Trump his requests were unlawful, [Vought] searched for and often found alternative means.”
He has also been described as fiscally hawkish and Vought championed the freezing of congressionally approved funds, diverting Pentagon money to pay for Trump's border wall, and was also a key proponent of Schedule F. As per Haberman and Swan, this was designed to make it easier to potentially fire numerous ‘ostensibly apolitical government workers and replace them with loyalists.’
The book also noted that Trump brought back Vought in the same role but gave him far greater freedom in the second term.
Prior to Vought's White House service, he spent almost two decades in the conservative movement on Capitol Hill, with roles including Policy Director for the House Republican Conference, Executive Director of the Republican Study Committee, and Legislative Assistant to former U.S. Senator Phil Gramm.
Vought was also a significant contributor to Project 2025, a blueprint for governance published by right-wing think tank the Heritage Foundation. Trump had initially disavowed Project 2025, given its unpopularity ahead of the elections.
In Project 2025, Vought authored a chapter under the section titled ‘Taking the reigns of government’. Vought wrote “The modern conservative President’s task is to limit, control, and direct the executive branch on behalf of the American people,” and added “it is the President’s agenda that should matter to the departments and agencies.” He also wrote that the “White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) should establish a reputation as the keeper of ‘commander’s intent’.”
He argued in Chapter 2 that “National Security Council ‘should rigorously review all general and flag officer promotions to prioritize the core roles and responsibilities of the military over social engineering and non-defense related matters, including climate change, critical race theory, manufactured extremism, and other polarizing policies that weaken our armed forces and discourage our nation’s finest men and women from enlisting’.”
The fallout over Project 2025 might have diminished Vought's chances of returning to the Trump administration. Haberman and Swan noted that his name had initially been left out, but this was protested by Stephen Miller, JD Vance, and others. When Vought arrived, he hit it off with Elon Musk, who at that time was a critical voice in the Trump administration. Then, two weeks before the election, Trump announced Vought's return as the OMB director.
Vought graduated with a BA from Wheaton College and has a JD from George Washington University Law School. He is married to Michelle, who praised her husband on X after Trump's remarks, saying “.@russvought IS fantastic, just as @POTUS says. And he IS ‘going to be one of the most important people in the history of the country.’ I'm grateful for him, AND for the President, two men who make bold moves to renew America, realizing what we are up against and what time it is in our nation's history.”