Trump questions legitimacy of 2026 midterm election results

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Summary

President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that he doubts the honesty of the recent midterm elections, alleging issues with voting machines and early-vote counts despite officials reporting no major problems.

President Donald Trump used his Truth Social platform on Nov. 9 to suggest that the recent midterm election was not honest, questioning the accuracy of poll predictions and early-vote totals. He wrote, "Does anybody really believe that this 'Election' was honest? How could the Polls be so wrong??? Some early voting 'dumps' were so large that it was impossible to win, no matter how many people went to vote. It’s all about the machines, which are far more important than the voter!" Trump later told reporters, "I think the numbers were terrible in terms of those early votes." He also claimed that Democrats recruited a candidate with the same name as Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska to affect the vote count, adding, "They stole it, and that election should be called right now, because Dan Sullivan won easily if you add up the numbers."

Election officials across the United States have not reported significant concerns about early-voting discrepancies or voting-machine issues in the 2026 races. The midterm outcomes, forecast by public surveys, gave Democrats control of both the House and the Senate, including victories in traditionally Republican states such as Texas, Kansas and South Carolina. In Alaska, where a ranked-choice voting system is used, the final tally will not begin until Nov. 18, according to state law.

Trump has previously acknowledged the Republican losses in the midterms, noting in interviews that his absence from the ballot and public sentiment on foreign policy may have contributed to the results. Earlier, he told The New York Times he was willing to accept the election outcome and work with Democrats in Congress.

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