In his second presidency, Donald Trump has only vetoed two bills, and both vetoes occurred on the same day.
On December 29, 2025, Trump vetoed the Miccosukee Reserved Area Amendments Act and the Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act.
Donald Trump in 2025 at CPAC. Creative Commons Photo.
President Donald J. Trump makes remarks at a Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration in the East Room, Wednesday, September 30, 2026, at the White House. (Official White House Photo by Joyce Boghosian)
The latter bill was sponsored by Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), a Trump loyalist, who complained at the time that “President Trump decided to veto a completely non-controversial, bipartisan bill that passed both the House and Senate unanimously.”
Reports at the time speculated that the veto came in retaliation for Boebert’s push to release the Epstein files.
Trump had vetoed ten bills in his first term, including the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, in the waning days of his first presidency.
However, Congress later overrode that veto, in the only instance so far of that happening in either of Trump’s terms.
Since Republicans controlled both houses of Congress for the last two years, Trump has had little occasion to veto bills. But with Democrats taking control of both houses of Congress, that’s about to change.
Democrats now control 54 seats in the Senate and 254 in the House once the new Congress is sworn in, although two Senate races and several more House races have not yet been called.
Break Out the Veto Pen
According to Axios, that’s a dynamic that could emerge in the new Congress next year: Democrats will not only control both houses of Congress, but will also have comfortable majorities in both, making it possible for them to pass a domestic agenda and dare Trump to veto it.
It’s a scenario that hasn’t happened in either of Trump’s presidential terms, but he seems to be looking forward to it. Last week, the president posted an image to Truth Social of a MAGA hat with the word “VETO” on it.
“They’re in control, but they’re really not in control because they can send over, you know, 50 different great bills that they’re all excited about and I send them back with a nice stamp, veto,” Trump said on Fox News shortly after the election.
The other possibility is that the sides could reach compromises on bipartisan legislation.
“Democrats may be forced to compromise to get legislative priorities through,” Axios said of the next Congress. “Trump will have to decide how frequently he’ll use the power — and whether he’ll strike down bills popular among Americans.”
As Axios noted, Democrats may have large majorities, but they don’t have enough to override presidential vetoes with only Democratic votes, as an override requires supermajority support in both houses. However, one prominent Democrat in Congress is looking forward to the possibility of trying.
AOC Speaks, Say Democrats Might Be Able to Override Some Trump Vetoes
According to a Where is the Buzz story published this week, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) discussed veto dynamics in a post-election video clip.
AOC said Democrats are willing to meet Trump “the nice way” or “the hard way” when it comes to legislation. The Congresswoman was asked how Democrats can deal with Trump once they take the majority.
“I think we can compel him in a couple of ways,” AOC told her supporters. “And with these majorities, we might be able to get some veto overrides, depending on what it is.”
Democrats, she added, will end up “within striking distance of veto overrides,” and might be able to pull them off if the bills are popular enough or are bipartisan.
Some bills are considered “must-pass,” such as the budget, the national defense authorization, and emergency measures like providing relief after a natural disaster or other calamity. There’s also the possibility of a government shutdown if the sides don’t agree on a budget or continuing resolution.
Government shutdowns have often taken place when the president and Congress are from opposite parties. However, there have been multiple government shutdowns in Trump’s presidencies, all of them with Trump’s party in control of Congress.
AOC also predicted that Trump “does not want to be seen as unproductive and impotent for the next two years,” which may compel him to cooperate.
“I think we can allow him to work together on health care, wages and other ways that can deliver for the American people,” AOC said.
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has written thousands of articles on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
