Trump and Speaker Johnson spread false claims about California elections to undermine 2026 midterms

President Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson spread baseless claims about California elections being rigged, part of a broader effort to sow doubts about the 2026 midterm elections. Trump suggested Republicans should 'take over the voting' in at least '15 places.' The Los Angeles Times reported that Johnson continued to perpetuate falsehoods despite knowing better, furthering Trump's aim to undermine confidence in the electoral system. This follows Trump's pattern of making unsubstantiated voter fraud claims, including previous allegations that California's Proposition 50 vote was a 'GIANT SCAM' and that the voting process itself was 'RIGGED.' Fact-checkers found no evidence supporting these claims, with the White House providing misrepresented data about duplicate registrations and cherry-picked statistics that failed to substantiate allegations of widespread fraud. The coordinated effort between Trump and the House Speaker represents an escalation in official government figures ...

“The Unconstitutional Redistricting Vote in California is a GIANT SCAM in that the entire process, in particular the Voting itself, is RIGGED.” — Trump's Truth Social post attacking California's Proposition 50 redistricting vote, part of his broader pattern of baselessly claiming election fraud in Democratic-leaning states