Trump puts condition on accepting Midterm results as he warns of possible voter fraud
WASHINGTON, DC: Amid his repeated claim of widespread voter fraud in US elections, President Donald Trump has said he would accept the midterm election results only if the elections are honest.
Trump’s conditional remarks about the midterm results came a day after he said the federal government would closely monitor Minnesota’s Senate race, one of the closely watched contests of the election cycle.
Trump says he will only accept midterm results if elections are honest
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday, October 27, that he would respect next week’s midterm election results “if they’re honest elections,” amid concerns from Democrats over his pre-election rhetoric.
Trump made the comments to reporters at Joint Base Andrews before departing for a campaign trip to Texas.
A day earlier, Trump endorsed Republican Michele Tafoya in Minnesota’s Senate race and warned against alleged ballot manipulation.
“Let’s all get behind Michele Tafoya in Minnesota. She’s running a great race. Don’t allow them to play with the Votes after the race is over. The Federal Government will be watching closely,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
🚨 JUST NOW: President Trump announces the US federal government will be "CLOSELY" watching Minnesota's elections for FRAUD and BALLOT MANIPULATION, as he supports Michele Tafoya (R) in the US Senate race "The only way she can lose is if they cheat by playing games with the Ballots as they come in." "Don't allow them to play with the Votes after the race is over. The Federal Government will be watching closely. We can't allow that to happen, because I won Minnesota three times, but they didn't give me the Victories, and Minnesota hasn't been “won” since 1972, when Richard Nixon claimed the trophy. Michele Tafoya has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next Senator from the Great State of Minnesota — She will not let you down!" Trump is fed up with the fraud. Tafoya is running an AMAZING campaign, and has been pinning down Peggy Flanagan — Tim Walz's Lt. Gov. — for having a part in ALL of the fraud under his watch She was overseeing MN while he ran for VP in 2024! ELECT TAFOYA. https://t.co/4aQDq86ntc
— John F.Kennedy Jr (@real_jfkjr01) October 26, 2026
“The only way she can lose is if they cheat by playing games with the Ballots as they come in,” he added.
Minnesota Democrats hits back at Trump
Trump’s remarks about Minnesota’s election drew criticism from Democratic leaders, including Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.), who accused the president of “laying the groundwork” to “steal” the election.
“He’s blatantly laying the groundwork to steal an election if his chosen candidate doesn’t win… Minnesota will not take kindly to thinly veiled threats from a guy we’ve rejected three times (soon to be four),” Smith wrote on X.
Trump administration steps up efforts against alleged voter fraud
The Trump administration has also taken legal action in Alaska and asked election officials in California and Washington state to set aside ballots linked to people it suspects may be noncitizens.
In Alaska, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent certification of the US Senate election result if Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan loses. The lawsuit argues that another candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan, could confuse voters because of the similarity in their names. It seeks to delay certification if the result may have been affected by that confusion.
In a letter to Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs on Monday, October 26, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said it had identified about 1,500 votes cast by more than 400 people in previous elections, the Associated Press reported.
The department asked Washington to set aside any ballots the individuals may cast in the upcoming midterm elections until their eligibility to vote can be confirmed. The state said it was reviewing the request.
Earlier, the DOJ asked a federal appeals court to intervene in its lawsuit seeking to stop California officials from counting about 20,000 mail-in ballots linked to people the administration believes may be noncitizens. On Monday, the Ninth Circuit dismissed the emergency appeal because the district court had not yet ruled on the request. The case was sent back to the lower court for further proceedings.
