Majority of Americans don’t believe Trump will accept midterm results
A large majority of Americans do not believe President Donald Trump would accept the results of the upcoming midterm elections if Republicans suffer losses, even as most voters retain confidence in the overall fairness of the vote, according to a survey conducted by The Washington Post, ABC News and Ipsos.
The skepticism crosses party lines, with seven in ten Americans overall lacking confidence that Trump would accept a defeat. That view is shared by vast majorities of Democrats and independents, as well as more than a third of Republicans.
Most Americans still express trust in how the election will be run. Six in ten respondents said they were confident the midterms would be fair, a view shared by 70 percent of Democrats and 67 percent of Republicans. Independents were more split, with 51 percent expressing confidence.
Americans also voiced faith in the vote counting process, with 65 percent confident that ballots would be accurately tallied. Democrats were the most confident at 76 percent, followed by 68 percent of Republicans and 55 percent of independents.
Trump has repeatedly raised doubts about electoral integrity over the years, maintaining unproven claims regarding his 2016 and 2020 election results. When asked by NBC News in February if he would trust the results should Republicans lose control of Congress, he said, “I will if the elections are honest.”
Courts and independent studies have consistently found no evidence of widespread voter fraud. Under the U.S. Constitution, states administer elections rather than the federal government, but Trump has voiced a desire to “nationalize the voting” and “take over” elections.
In a January interview with The New York Times, he expressed regret over not having military personnel seize voting machines following his 2020 loss. Local officials reported to The Washington Post that they were taking precautionary steps for potential federal interference or attempts to seize ballots.
Additionally, his administration has scaled back operations at federal agencies focused on voting safeguards and previously sought restrictions on mail-in ballots before being blocked by the Supreme Court.
By comparison, voters expressed broader confidence in Democratic leaders. Sixty-one percent of Americans — including 88 percent of Democrats, 58 percent of independents and 36 percent of Republicans — said they were confident Democratic leaders would accept a loss. Among undecided voters and non-voters, only 37 percent felt confident Democratic leaders would accept a loss, while just 16 percent said the same for Trump.
Voters across the country offered differing views on the political landscape and election reliability.
Jonnie Smith, a 69-year-old human resources manager from Johnson City, Tennessee, who typically votes Republican but opposes Trump, doubted the president would accept a defeat.
“He has to throw dirt on it if it doesn’t come out his way, period,” Smith told The Washington Post. “He’s shown us that every time he loses.”
Gary Podbielski, a 67-year-old retired information technology manager near Houston who usually votes Republican but plans to support Democrats this cycle, agreed.
“He’ll fight it,” Podbielski said. “He’ll say something stupid.”
