Trump Claims Midterm Elections Were Stolen Days After Accepting Results
The president reversed his stance on Monday, alleging fraud in voting machines after Democrats took control of both houses of Congress.
By Bianca Shevchenko ·
President Donald Trump renewed claims of election fraud on Monday following the Democratic takeover of both chambers of the US Congress. The allegations appeared on Truth Social, where the president questioned the honesty of the election results. He wrote, “Does anybody really believe that this ‘Election’ was honest. How could the Polls be so wrong???”
The president alleged without providing evidence that large early voting dumps had prevented Republican victories. He argued that the voting machines were far more important than the voters themselves. This claim marked a sharp reversal from his position on election night, when he told The New York Times he was absolutely willing to accept the results.
Polls prior to the election had largely predicted a Democratic sweep of the House and Senate. However, they underestimated the extent of the shift, which saw Republicans lose in deep red states. Trump’s accusations follow a pattern of unfounded claims, most notably after his 2020 defeat by Joe Biden.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer responded to the comments on Monday. He described the president’s return to denialism as inevitable. Schumer stated that the inescapable truth is that Trump will face the largest Democratic congressional majorities in decades. He attributed this outcome to the president’s performance over the last two years.
Before the vote, the administration had prepared for a potential challenge to the results. The Justice Department sued 30 states and the District of Columbia to obtain voter registration lists to identify non-citizens. The department lost more than two dozen of those cases. It also demanded that ballots be set aside for about 20,000 people in California and more than 400 in Washington state who it suspected were non-citizens.
The US Supreme Court rejected the request regarding California one day before election day. Washington state also refused the demand. Studies have repeatedly found that non-citizen voting is exceptionally rare. The Justice Department also sued Alaska to delay certification of its Senate race if incumbent Dan Sullivan narrowly lost to Democrat Mary Peltola.
The lawsuit cited a second candidate named Dan Sullivan whom the department said was trying to confuse voters, a claim he denies. Trump said he ordered the lawsuit. Experts note that federal law does not allow the department to block certification, which courts can compel officials to carry out.
