So far in 2026, President Donald Trump has suggested canceling the upcoming midterm elections not once, but twice.
His most recent floating of the idea came in an interview with Reuters, during which he discussed concerns that the Republicans could lose seats in the midterms. He’s quoted as arguing “we shouldn’t even have an election,” on account of how much the Trump Administration has accomplished.
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When asked about the comments on Thursday evening, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt brushed off the remarks, telling reporters the President was “simply joking.” Stating she was present for the interview earlier this week, Leavitt added: “He was saying ‘we’re doing such a great job… maybe we should just keep rolling.’ But he was speaking facetiously.”
Another reporter challenged this response, citing the importance of Democracy and asking if the President finds the idea of canceling elections to be “funny.” Leavitt chastised the press member for taking the matter so “seriously.”
Trump’s initial reference to canceling the elections came during his Jan. 6 address to House Republicans as they gathered at the Kennedy Center to discuss their agenda for the year ahead. Criticizing Democrats, Trump said “they have the worst policy” and questioned “how we have to even run against these people.”
“I won’t say cancel the election, they should cancel the election, because the fake news would say, ‘He wants the elections canceled. He’s a dictator.’ They always call me a dictator,” he claimed, adding that if the Republicans don’t win the midterms, the opposition will “find a reason to impeach” him.
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Federal law leaves no room for a President to postpone or cancel congressional elections, but Trump has previously advocated for making such moves. In July 2020, he suggested that the Presidential election later that year should be postponed.
“With universal mail-in voting, 2020 will be the most inaccurate and fraudulent election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the election until people can properly, securely, and safely vote,” Trump said, making claims over mail-in voter fraud.
When Trump went on to lose the 2020 race to President Joe Biden, he refused to acknowledge his loss and has continued to make false claims about the integrity of the election. He even fired top cybersecurity official Chris Krebs, after the analyst declared the 2020 election was “the most secure in American history.” Amid the rhetoric over supposedly stolen elections, on Jan. 6, 2021, rioters stormed the Capitol building in an attempt to block lawmakers from certifying Biden’s election victory.
Trump most recently referred to the results as “rigged” during his address to House Republicans at the Kennedy Center.
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