President Donald Trump shared some staggering updates about the midterm elections in an exclusive interview with NBC News’s Tom Llamas.
Trump shared a chilling message during the conversation, revealing the only condition that would lead him to accept a possible GOP defeat in the November 2026 midterm elections.
He stated the only reason he’d accept the loss was if the elections were “honest.” Llamas then asked Trump what he meant by Republicans “nationalizing” the elections.
The interviewer referred to the time the President said, “The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting.” Initially, Trump denied using the very word, even though his response was documented by multiple news outlets at a press conference.
The 79-year-old then explained that he was merely pointing out the corruption across different states when it comes to elections. He named Detroit, Philadelphia, and Atlanta as some of the most corrupt cities in the country.
Trump: “If they don’t want voter ID, that means they want to cheat. We can’t allow cheating on elections. Now, if we need to put in federal controls as opposed to state control — remember, they’re really an agent, they’re really accumulating the votes for who wins an election.” pic.twitter.com/GOo19nabMp
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 5, 2026
Trump also brought up the controversy surrounding voter IDs during the interview and falsely accused Democrats of wanting to cheat in the midterm elections. The President argued that Democratic politicians oppose voter ID laws because they want to cheat in elections.
“Why don’t the Democrats want voter ID? You know who does want voter ID? Democrat voters want it, but Democrat politicians don’t. Why don’t they want it? Because they want to cheat on election,” he said.
When Llamas bluntly asked Trump if he’d trust the midterm results should Republicans lose control of Congress, the President said, “I will! If the elections are honest.”
LLAMAS: Will you trust the results of the midterms if Republicans lose control of Congress?
TRUMP: I will, if the elections are honest. Look, I’m the last one that wants to complain. pic.twitter.com/ucQZtsPMSS
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 5, 2026
Trump claimed that because he had just experienced a “great’ election recently, so he would be the last person to complain about it. The internet was quick to react to the statement.
One X user stated, “Says the guy who is still f—— complaining about the 2020 elections he lost.” The user added, “He’s definitely not going to accept the results.” A second one chimed in agreement, saying, “Trump has complained non-stop since 2020…”
A third one added, “Translation: I will complain if anything happens other than what I want to happen.” A fourth one stated, “So the elections are only honest when he wins…Wow.” A fifth one mentioned, “Says the guy still trying to overturn the 2020 elections…”
The complaining aside, what makes his comments concerning is that he’s hinted at reportedly interfering with the upcoming elections, possibly fearing a loss.
According to The Daily Beast, the White House almost always suffers a major loss during the midterm elections. Trump has also floated ideas of cancelling the midterms altogether, sparking even more concern among citizens and critics.
What makes his comments concerning is that critics, including Democratic politicians and election analysts, believes his remarks hint at potential interference in the 2026 midterm elections amid fears of a GOP loss.
Trump has even floated the idea of not holding midterms at all, eliciting alarm, though the White House later clarified the President was joking.
Ever since he shared his thoughts about the election, Trump has been facing immense scrutiny about the explosive interview with Llamas. The White House continues to remain tight-lipped about responding to the backlash from the interview. They’ve also not elaborated on what kind of honesty Trump is expecting.
