Trump questions midterm results, says "it’s all about the machines"
President Donald Trump asked on Truth Social whether the midterm election was "honest" and said "it’s all about the machines", offering no evidence. Election officials say voting was largely routine; Democrats won the House and Senate.
President Donald Trump on Monday, 9 November 2026, questioned the legitimacy of the midterm elections in a Truth Social post, according to CNBC, NBC News and AFP. "Does anybody really believe that this ‘Election’ was honest," he wrote. He claimed some early-voting "dumps" were so large that "it was impossible to win" and added: "It’s all about the machines, which are far more important than the voter!" The post did not elaborate and cited no evidence.
The post came six days after Democrats won majorities in both the House and the Senate. On election night Trump told The New York Times he was "absolutely willing" to accept the results. Asked by reporters on Monday whether the vote was rigged, he said the early-vote numbers "were terrible", NBC reported. A White House official noted that Trump had said he would respect the results "if they’re honest elections."
Election officials nationwide have reported that voting was largely routine, NBC News said. Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, a Democrat, called Trump’s claims "completely false" and said "the systems worked." The Washington Post noted that public polls predicted a Democratic sweep but, on average, underestimated its size. Trump has made unproven claims of fraud since losing the 2020 election, where courts rejected dozens of challenges, CNBC noted.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called the post "Donald Trump’s pathetic return to election denialism."