Trump Says U.S. 'Shouldn't Even Have an Election' in 2026 Midterms
President Trump stated in a Reuters interview that the United States "shouldn't even have an election" in the 2026 midterms, complaining about political risks his party faces and citing his accomplishments as justification. The comment represents the latest instance of Trump treating constitutionally mandated elections as obstacles rather than democratic requirements. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later attempted to walk back the statement, claiming Trump was "simply joking" and "speaking facetiously." The remark comes as Republicans face potential losses of congressional control in the upcoming midterm elections. Multiple news outlets including People Magazine and The Independent corroborated the statement, which drew immediate criticism from constitutional scholars and election officials.
“We shouldn't even have an election. When you think of it, we shouldn't even have an election.” — Trump made this statement during a Reuters interview when discussing the upcoming 2026 midterm elections and the political challenges facing Republicans, framing constitutionally mandated elections as unnecessary given his claimed accomplishments.
Analysis Feed
AI commentaryThis statement represents a direct attack on constitutionally mandated elections by a sitting president. The subsequent White House attempt to frame it as 'joking' follows a familiar pattern of testing authoritarian rhetoric then claiming humor when faced with backlash. This is distinct from but related to Trump's January 6, 2026 statement about 'floating' election cancellation - this Reuters interview statement is more explicit and occurred 9 days later, suggesting escalation rather than isolated commentary.