Trump Revives Election Fraud Claims Days After Pledging to Accept Midterms

President Donald Trump issued a Truth Social post on Monday morning casting doubts on the “honesty” of the 2026 midterm elections, less than one week after initially stating he would accept the results.

“Does anybody really believe that this ‘Election’ was honest?” Trump wrote in his latest missive about the midterms.

He went on to reprise grievances from past elections, in which he errantly claimed that results that came in later (often due to absentee ballots being counted after polls closed) were somehow suspicious.

“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,” Trump wrote. Contrary to Trump’s objections, polls widely predicted Democratic gains this midterm season.

Trump also expressed doubts about the security of voting machines, a familiar but debunked claim he frequently used to suggest that his 2020 presidential election loss was somehow rigged.

“It’s all about the machines, which are far more important than the voter!” Trump said.

Trump’s Monday morning post comes just six days after he told The New York Times that he would respect the results of the midterms, telling the publication he was “absolutely willing” to accept the outcome after Republicans were routed by Democrats in races determining control of both houses of Congress. Trump also said he was “look[ing] forward to working with” Democrats when they take office in January.

At multiple points over the past year — including in late October, just weeks before the elections took place — Trump said he would only accept the results of the midterms if he deemed them “honest.”

Trump’s initial statement declaring that he’d accept the results likely surprised millions of Americans. In polling conducted last month, 7 in 10 Americans said they didn’t believe the president would accept the results, while fewer than 3 in 10 respondents said they believed he would.

It’s unclear whether Trump is planning to demand that Republicans take action to address his false claims of “dishonesty” within the election results. One theory worrying political observers is that Trump and Republicans could attempt to demand that the House Clerk refuse to seat newly elected lawmakers in January, justifying the action by citing unfounded claims of election fraud. That move could create a constitutional crisis, as it would be unclear as to who would be in control of Congress, the outgoing session or the incoming one, and would likely require judicial intervention.