Jen Psaki takes aim at Trump’s 2026 midterm claims, says 'his ego' is a factor
WASHINGTON, DC: Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki has accused President Donald Trump of openly laying the groundwork to undermine the upcoming 2026 midterm elections.
In an episode of her podcast published on Thursday, February 6, she argued that Trump is using his ego as a justification for interfering in the polls.
Trump’s statements show he can undermine elections
Psaki, who hosts the podcast ‘The Briefing with Jen Psaki’ on MS NOW, said Trump has been increasingly explicit about questioning future election outcomes, framing it as a continuation of his long-running effort to relitigate the 2020 presidential election.
“It’s not exactly a secret,” Psaki said, pointing to Trump’s repeated public statements suggesting he may not respect the results of upcoming elections. She argued that his comments go beyond personal resentment and are being used to justify potential interference in the 2026 midterms.
Psaki highlighted remarks Trump made at the National Prayer Breakfast, where he spoke about needing to win the election for “his own ego”.
In a clip Psaki played, Trump is heard saying, “They rigged the second election. I had to win it.”
He added, “I needed it for my own ego. I would have had a bad ego for the rest of my life [if I lost]. Now I really have a big ego.”
Psaki then went on to say, “It's not just that he's a fragile ego, which he clearly does, it's also that he wants to use it as a justification for messing with the 2026 midterm elections. He’s talking about it nonstop.”
Steve Bannon, Mike Johnson hint at midterm election interference
She also warned that Trump’s rhetoric is being echoed by influential allies.
Psaki cited former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, who recently suggested that immigration authorities could be deployed around polling places in the name of election integrity.
“We're going to have ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] surround the polls come November. We're not going to sit here and allow you to steal the country again,” Bannon has recently said.
Psaki said such comments signal attempts to intimidate voters rather than protect elections.
In Congress, Psaki pointed to statements by House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has raised suspicions about ballot counting without presenting evidence.
Johnson had said that Trump is frustrated about some blue states not ensuring that there are free and fair elections.
“We had three House Republican candidates who were ahead on Election Day in the last election cycle. And every time a retrench of ballots came in, they just magically wiggled away until their leads were lost.”
He asserted that this “looks on its face to be fraudulent,” but conceded he can’t prove it “because it happened so far upstream.”
Psaki said Johnson’s comments are a warning sign because “he actually has some power” as speaker of the House.
Trump, she argued, lacks the authority to control state-run elections directly, but allies in Congress could still influence election policy through legislation or funding decisions.
Throughout the episode, Psaki returned to her central theme: that Trump’s own words suggest a preoccupation with personal legacy and grievance that could shape how he approaches the 2026 elections.
“He’s telling us what he’s thinking out loud,” Psaki said. “And people should be paying attention.”
