Trump Reverses Course, Claims Midterm Elections Were Stolen
The president posted on Truth Social that voting machines invalidated the results, a sharp break from his acceptance on election night.
By Alina Campbell ·
President Donald Trump claimed on Monday that the recent midterm elections were dishonest, a direct contradiction of his statements from just days prior. He posted on Truth Social, asking, "Does anybody really believe that this ‘Election’ was honest. How could the Polls be so ???" The post alleged that large early voting "dumps" made it impossible for Republicans to win, despite no evidence being provided.
Trump took to social media to criticize the voting process itself. He stated, "It’s all about the machines, which are far more important than the voter!" This comment came after polls before the vote largely predicted a Democratic takeover of both the House and the Senate. However, those polls underestimated the scale of the Democratic victory, as Republicans lost even in deep-red states.
The shift in rhetoric is stark when compared to election night. On that night, Trump told The New York Times, "I am absolutely willing to accept those results." He had previously made similar claims of fraud following his 2020 loss to Joe Biden. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who is set to lead the chamber, called the move a "pathetic return to election denialism."
Schumer added that nothing could stop the fact that Trump would face the largest Democratic congressional majorities in decades for the next two years. He attributed the outcome to the president being an "unprecedented failure." The administration had been preparing for a potential challenge before the vote took place.
The Justice Department sued 30 states and the District of Columbia to obtain voter registration lists, claiming it needed to find non-citizens. The department lost more than two dozen of those cases. It also sought to set aside ballots from approximately 20,000 people in California and more than 400 in Washington state, citing suspicions of non-citizenship. Studies have repeatedly found that non-citizen voting is exceptionally rare.
The Supreme Court rejected the California request one day before election day, dealing a setback to the administration. Washington State also refused the demand. The Justice Department sued Alaska to delay the certification of its Senate race if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan narrowly lost to Democrat Mary Peltola. The lawsuit cited a second candidate named Dan Sullivan who was allegedly trying to confuse voters, a claim the candidate denies.
Trump said he ordered the Alaska lawsuit. Legal experts note that federal law does not allow the department to block certification, a process that courts can compel officials to complete. The administration's legal efforts to challenge the results have largely been rejected in the courts before the votes were counted.
