President Donald Trump is now casting doubt on last week’s midterm elections, questioning whether the results that handed Democrats control of Congress were legitimate.
“Does anybody really believe that this ‘Election’ was honest,” Trump wrote on Truth Social early Monday, adding, “How could the Polls be so wrong???”
The president went on to claim that some early voting “dumps” were so large that it was impossible for Republicans to win no matter how many people turned out. He then pointed to voting machines, arguing they matter far more than voters. Trump did not offer evidence to back up his claims.
The post marks a sharp turn from the president’s tone in the immediate aftermath of the election. On election night, Trump said in media interviews that he accepted the results and credited Democrats with doing a good job. In the days that followed, he largely blamed weak Republican candidates, some of whom he had personally backed, for the party’s losses.
Over the weekend, however, Trump began resharing charts on social media that suggested, without evidence, that the dramatic swing toward Democrats was suspicious.
Democrats flipped at least seven Republican-held Senate seats and more than 40 House seats in last Tuesday’s election. Numerous polls in the weeks leading up to Election Day had shown Democrats were likely to take the House and possibly the Senate.
More than 54 million Americans voted early this year, both by mail and in person, according to the University of Florida Election Lab.
Trump had hinted at the possibility of disputing the results before Election Day. On Oct. 27, he told reporters he would respect the outcome if they were honest elections. Earlier this year, he told NBC News that if elections could not be conducted honestly and on time, something else would have to happen.
Critics quickly pushed back on Monday’s post. CNN anchor Jake Tapper pointed out that it would be unlikely for officials in Texas, a state run by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton, to rig elections in favor of Democrats. Other commentators questioned why the president would suggest elections were dishonest in states where Republicans oversee the process.
The White House has said the president wants Americans to have full confidence in how elections are run, including photo ID requirements and accurate voter rolls free of noncitizens. Trump has long pushed for passage of the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship to vote.
Trump has a long history of raising concerns about election integrity. After the 2020 election, he and his allies filed dozens of lawsuits challenging the results, nearly all of which were dismissed or dropped. During the 2024 campaign, he urged supporters to deliver a victory that was too big to rig.
Monday’s post came one day after Trump acknowledged in a “60 Minutes” interview that his administration’s tough immigration policies may have hurt Republicans at the ballot box.
The president has not said whether he plans to formally challenge any of the midterm results.
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