Trump sends critics into overdrive with ‘big surprises’ tease

National PoliticsPresident Donald Trump speaks at an event for Anduril Industries, Inc., at Sparrows Point Shipyard, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in Sparrows Point, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)AP Photo/Julia Demaree NikhinsonPresident Donald Trump has critics concerned after he announced that “big surprises” are only a few weeks away.During a speech in Maryland on Tuesday, Trump gave a shoutout to Russ Vought, the director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, before teasing the crowd of what is to come.“We have some big surprises coming up in another few weeks, right Russ?” the president said. “He’s going to be one of the important people in the history of our country, in my opinion. He’s got some great things happening.”His comments followed his call on social media just hours earlier for Americans to look out for a “midterm surprise.”“My Rally crowds and enthusiasm are unbelievable!” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Nobody has ever seen anything like it. We are flipping races all over the place. The Fake News knows it, but they don’t want to be truthful with their viewers. It’s all happening!”Trump did not offer any details of what he was referencing and whether his two announcements are related. But a number of social media users, critical of the president, quickly speculated about ominous outcomes, with many referring to Vought’s background as an architect behind Project 2025 under The Heritage Foundation.Fox News host Jessica Tarlov wrote in a post on X: “Between this and his ‘midterm surprise,’ the time to prepare for him to try to steal an election is now.” One user said that Trump was “literally soft launching cancelling elections and ending democracy,” while another argued that Vought has “the power to interfere in elections by replacing nonpartisan election officials with loyalists, cut critical funding, and block independent election oversight.”Anthony Scaramucci, Trump’s former, and brief, White House communications director, pointed to how the president had distanced himself from the sweeping conservative blueprint while running for president in 2024.“Of course he said in July 2024 he had nothing to do with Project 2025 and he didn’t know Russ,” Scaramucci added.Someone else claimed that the president is “literally telling us he’s about to attempt to take control of elections. We should believe him.”“Trump is gearing up to try and rig the election,” liberal influencer Ed Krassenstein said. “I hope Democrats are ready.”Neither Trump nor the White House has said that the president’s new remarks are related to the midterms in November. Vought plays a key role in implementing the president’s goals, helping develop the administration’s budget, policy priorities and agency rule-making.Rachel Cohen covers national politics as a reporter for Advance Local, focusing on President Donald Trump's second term and Congress. She previously worked as a trending political reporter for NJ.com. Her work...