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US Midterms 2026
24SEP

Trump questions honesty of the midterms

2 min read
11:45UTC

Donald Trump asked on Truth Social whether anybody believed the election was honest, six days after telling The New York Times he would accept the results.

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PoliticsDeveloping
Key takeaway

Trump questioned the midterms' honesty, but no Republican campaign had sued by 10 November.

On Monday 9 November Donald Trump posted on Truth Social, his own social network: "Does anybody really believe that this 'Election' was honest", adding, "It's all about the machines, which are far more important than the voter!"⁠1. Seven Democratic plaintiffs were already suing him over alleged threats to prosecute election officials. On polling night he had told The New York Times he was "absolutely willing" to accept the results.

The post reverses that pledge in tone, though not yet in action. No Republican campaign had sued over a 2026 result by 10 November. In Kansas, the machine counts he questions are being checked by hand this week, under audits Secretary of State Scott Schwab ordered for the state's closest races.

Deep Analysis

In plain English

Most American votes are read and totalled by scanning machines, with the paper ballots kept as a record. President Donald Trump suggested online that the machines made this year's election dishonest, though on polling night he said he would accept the results. He gave no evidence. No Republican candidate has gone to court over a result. Courts have rejected similar claims about machines since 2020.

Deep Analysis
Root Causes

Federal law gives a president no role in counting or certifying state results, so a presidential claim about machines works only through pressure on state officials or on Congress. That is why the claim matters only if a candidate or a state official acts on it.

Paper ballots now back the machine count in nearly every state, so any machine allegation can be tested against a hand count. That makes court cases over machines hard to win, and may explain why no campaign has filed one.

What could happen next?
  • Risk

    Trump's post may encourage pressure on county boards to delay certification in the close races still being counted.

  • Consequence

    Hand-count campaigns at county level are likely to cite the post in pushes to drop tabulators before 2028.

Sources:Yahoo News
Mentions:Donald Trump →Truth Social →Maricopa County →Delaware →New York Times →DSCC →New York →DSCC v. Trump →Kansas →Arizona →Scott Schwab →Fox News Channel →CISA →Dominion Voting Systems →Election Infrastructure Government Coordinating Council →
First Reported In

Update #24 · Late ballots flip North Carolina's 3rd

Yahoo News· 11 Nov 2026
Read original →
Causes and effects
Caused by
Democrats win the Senate and the House
Trump questioned the result after Democrats won both chambers.
Occurred 3 Nov 2026
Read story →
This Event
Trump questions honesty of the midterms
Trump has questioned the result, but no Republican campaign has yet taken a 2026 race to court.
Different Perspectives
University of Florida Election Lab
University of Florida Election Lab
The lab, run by Michael McDonald, estimates about 124.3 million ballots, a raw midterm record, and turnout of about 49.4% of eligible voters, second to 2018's 50.05%. The raw record reflects population growth more than a record rate, so the late count is working through a near-2018 electorate.
Thune's critics on the right, including Senator Ron Johnson
Thune's critics on the right, including Senator Ron Johnson
Ron Johnson backed the failed 31-15 motion to delay Thune's re-election, after activists such as Mike Cernovich blamed the leader for the defeat. Their complaint is that Republicans could have passed the SAVE Act; in January it meets a Democratic Senate instead.
Senator John Thune
Senator John Thune
Thune was re-elected Senate Republican leader by acclamation on 10 November after a motion to delay failed 31-15. He kept the filibuster that stopped the SAVE Act, the choice his critics on the right blame for the defeat.
House Republicans under Jim Jordan
House Republicans under Jim Jordan
House Republicans elected Jordan minority leader by 106 votes to 73 over Steve Scalise on 10 November, after Speaker Mike Johnson declined to run. They replaced the leadership that lost the majority, while Senate Republicans kept theirs.
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Trump asked on Truth Social on 9 November whether anybody believed the election "was honest" and blamed the machines, having told The New York Times on polling night he would accept the results. No Republican campaign had sued over a 2026 result by 10 November, so the claim has no case behind it.
Judge David O. Carter
Judge David O. Carter
Carter closed the Justice Department's suit over about 20,000 California mail ballots on 10 November after the department withdrew it, writing that the suit "attempted to disrupt an ongoing election". The closure leaves the department with no court order touching a 2026 California ballot.

Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Editorial standards.