Trump sets one condition which will make him accept 2026 midterm election results

Donald Trump questioned November midterms, vented to House Republicans about public opinion, and joked that GOP success made elections unnecessary
PUBLISHED FEB 5, 2026
Donald Trump told Tom Llamas at the White House on February 4 how he’d react to losing Congress, elections, and Minnesota protests (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Donald Trump told Tom Llamas at the White House on February 4 how he’d react to losing Congress, elections, and Minnesota protests (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)


WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump spoke with NBC News anchor Tom Llamas during an interview at the White House on Wednesday, February 4. During the discussion, he was asked for his reaction to the midterm results if Republicans were to lose control of Congress.

The country’s midterm elections are set for November 3 this year. Trump had previously said, “when you think of it, we shouldn’t even have an election.” He also discussed issues tied to his administration and shared his views on the recent Minnesota protests, responding to a range of questions beyond the midterm election topic.

U.S. President Donald Trump listens during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on February 26, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump is holding the first Cabinet meeting of his second term, joined by Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump listens during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on February 26, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump is holding the first Cabinet meeting of his second term, joined by Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Trump sets terms for trusting 2026 midterms

Ahead of the upcoming midterms, Trump spoke about election integrity and made clear where he stands on accepting the results. When asked whether he would trust the outcome, he did not hesitate to respond and openly shared his position.

He said, “I will if the elections are honest. Look, I’m the last one that wants to complain. I just had a great election. They say one of the greatest elections.” After the remark, he shifted the conversation to his own victory and reflected on the previous election.

Trump enters the 2026 midterm election season with steady backing from Republican voters, while his approval numbers among the broader public remain divided. A Pew Research Center survey found that 37 per cent of Americans approve of Trump’s performance as president, placing him below majority support one year into his second term.

Trump revives election doubts ahead of November midterms

President Trump has continued raising questions about the November midterm elections, when Republicans could lose control of the House, the Senate, or both. Speaking to House Republicans, he voiced frustration with public opinion, saying, “I wish you could explain to me what the hell’s going on with the mind of the public,” according to CNN.

He later added, “Now, I won’t say, ‘Cancel the election. They should cancel the election,’ because the fake news will say, ‘He wants the elections canceled. He’s a dictator.’”

During an interview with Reuters, Trump again referenced the idea, saying Republicans had been so successful that “when you think of it, we shouldn’t even have an election.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later said the president was “joking” and “being facetious.” While appearing last September alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump reacted to Ukraine postponing elections during wartime, remarking, “So you say during the war, you can’t have elections. So let me just say, three and a half years from now, so you mean, if we happen to be in a war with somebody, no more elections? Oh, that’s good.”



Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes responded by emphasizing legal safeguards around elections.

He said, “Look, you can’t cancel the election... We’ve got a whole bunch of scenarios that we’re playing through to make sure that we’re prepared for the types of processes that might be necessary to preserve our democracy so that if somebody tries to cancel something, if somebody tries to take some stuff they’re not entitled to, we can go to the courts, get the orders, and hopefully have the backup of law enforcement to make sure that we can move forward through this.”

He added, “The fact that we’re running through these scenarios in the first place should tell you something about the health of our democracy.”

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