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In view of falling approval ratings and growing dissatisfaction among voters, US President Donald Trump is considering canceling the 2026 congressional elections. Or not recognizing their results.
“This is some deep psychological thing. But if you win the presidency, you don’t win the midterms,” Trump said in an interview with Reuters published on Thursday.
“If you think about it, we really shouldn’t be holding an election.”
Doubts about the recognition of the election results
The statements followed an interview the president gave to The New York Times. In it, he repeatedly sidestepped a clear commitment to respect the results of the midterm elections, claiming instead that he “always respects the results of elections, but the elections in our country are rigged.”
Earlier this month, Trump complained about having to “run against these people” in a speech to Republicans at a Kennedy Center retreat. What was meant was the Democrats.
“I’m not going to say, ‘Cancel the election, they should cancel the election,’ because then the fake news will say he wants to cancel the election,” the president added. “‘He’s a dictator.’ They always call me a dictator.”
White House speaks of “jokes”
On Thursday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked that Trump had repeatedly suggested that the midterm elections should be canceled. She explained that Trump was merely “speaking facetiously” and “just joking.”
“Are you saying the president thinks the idea of canceling an election is funny?” reporter Andrew Feinberg asked in a follow-up question.
“Were you in the room?” Leavitt replied sharply. “I was in the room […] and only someone like you would take it so seriously and ask it as a question in that way.”
Threat of authoritarian measures
While the White House tries to dismiss the statements as an extended comedy act, the president continues to threaten authoritarian steps.
On Thursday, Trump threatened to use the Insurrection Act against ongoing protests in Minnesota. The background is unrest following the killing of 37-year-old US citizen Renee Good by ICE officers.
“If Minnesota’s corrupt politicians don’t follow the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the patriots at ICE who are simply doing their job, I will enact the INSURRECTION ACT,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, “and quickly put an end to the travesty unfolding in this once great state.”
Meaning of the Insurrection Act
The Insurrection Act would allow Trump to federalize members of the state’s National Guard to quell protests. So far, these have been largely peaceful – despite increasingly violent operations by federal officers who were sent to Minnesota.
Growing criticism of ICE
A series of polls released in January showed a significant increase in opposition to ICE and the methods used in the government’s deportation drive. A CNN poll found that “51 percent of Americans versus 31 percent say ICE enforcement actions make cities unsafe rather than safer; another 18 percent see little impact in one direction or the other.”
A separate YouGov poll found that 52 percent of respondents disapprove of “how Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) does its job,” while 39 percent approve.
As Trump’s administration tries to regain lost support amid a volatile economy, international tensions and growing disgust over the use of force in American cities, it is little surprise that Trump would prefer to forego elections altogether this year.