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Politics

Trump Says He Will Respect Midterm Results Only if Elections Are ‘Honest’

President Donald Trump said on Oct. 27 that he will respect the results of the Nov. 3 midterm elections only if the elections are honest, while acknowledging that Republicans could lose control of both chambers of Congress.

By admin Oct. 27, 2026 · 7:43 PM ET 3 min read

The United States Capitol building in Washington, with American flags on the lawn and autumn trees on either side.
The United States Capitol building in Washington, with American flags on the lawn and autumn trees on either side.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he will respect the results of the Nov. 3 midterm elections only if the elections are “honest,” answering reporters on Oct. 27 when asked whether he would respect the results regardless of the outcome.

A blue ballot box and a row of gray voting booths in a polling place, with blurred voters standing in the background.

“I will if they’re honest elections,” Trump told reporters, according to USA TODAY. The paper reported that polling points to a possible Democratic wave, with Democrats widely favored to win control of the House of Representatives and holding multiple paths to take control of the Senate.

Trump acknowledged that Republicans could lose control of both chambers. Asked how he would work with Democrats if they took over the legislative branch, he said he would use his veto pen often and find a way to work out deals.

“I hope that that won’t be the case, but if it is, that’s happened before with many presidents,” Trump said.

What Trump said before, and what he has done this year

In the weeks before the midterms, Trump has regularly accused Democrats of cheating to win elections, without presenting evidence, according to USA TODAY. The paper reported that he alleged broad problems with voting systems and possible interference from other nations during a primetime address to the nation in July.

Last week, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit to block Alaska’s certification of the U.S. Senate race if Republicans lose, according to USA TODAY. The suit alleged confusion on Alaska’s ballot because Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan has an opponent with the same name. Trump told reporters that he directed the Justice Department to pursue the lawsuit.

The White House seen across the lawn through a black iron fence, with trees on either side.

Trump this week announced that the administration will pay $1 million to anyone who reports voter fraud in United States elections, in past elections or in the midterms, if the tips result in an arrest or conviction.

At the end of his first term, Trump worked to overturn the results of the 2020 election that he lost, culminating in the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol by a mob of his supporters, according to USA TODAY. He has continued to make unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 election, saying the election was stolen from him.

Rows of American flags lining a street in Washington, with autumn trees and a government building in the background.

Ahead of the 2020 election, the Trump White House used similar phrasing. “The president will accept the results of a free and fair election,” then-White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in September 2020.

Trump has taken several steps this year aimed at restricting voting in the midterms, according to USA TODAY. He issued an executive order exerting federal control over mail ballots, but the Supreme Court intervened to stop the U.S. Postal Service from implementing the new mail ballot rules for this election. He also directed the Department of Homeland Security to look for noncitizens on voting rolls in states.

USA TODAY reported that Trump has not ruled out declaring a national emergency around the midterms or invoking the Insurrection Act, which allows the president to deploy the military within the United States during times of civil disorder.

Reporting based on coverage by USA TODAY.

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