White House Backpedals After Trump Reveals He Doesn't Think Midterms Are Necessary - But Was He Really Joking?
When President Donald Trump claimed in an interview with Reuters that the US "shouldn’t even have" midterms in November, sparking widespread alarm among Democrats and Republicans alike, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt quickly sprang to his defense. According to Leavitt, Trump was simply joking when he made the statement – just a lighthearted comment meant to convey that the current administration is doing such an excellent job that maybe there's no need for elections at all.
But it's unlikely that Trump was being facetious about wanting to abolish midterms altogether. As part of his long-standing campaign to undermine Democratic gains in Congress, Trump has repeatedly expressed concern about the possibility of Republicans losing control of the House and Senate in November – a pattern of behavior that is eerily reminiscent of his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
When questioned by reporters about this apparent inconsistency, Leavitt claimed that Trump's comment was meant to be humorous and dismissive of the idea that Democrats would make gains in Congress. But with midterms just around the corner, Trump's words are likely to have a far more serious impact – at least on his own party.
Despite the White House's attempts to downplay the significance of Trump's comments, recent polling suggests that Democrats are poised to make significant gains in November. According to an Economist/YouGov poll conducted earlier this month, 44% of voters would back a Democratic candidate for midterms, compared to just 40% who would support Republicans – a 4.3 percentage point advantage that is consistent with other recent surveys.
It remains to be seen whether Trump's attempts to delegitimize the midterms will ultimately have any impact on the outcome of the election. But one thing is clear: when it comes to his own party, Trump's words are likely to be interpreted as a call to action – and by extension, an implicit warning to Republicans who may not toe the line.
When President Donald Trump claimed in an interview with Reuters that the US "shouldn’t even have" midterms in November, sparking widespread alarm among Democrats and Republicans alike, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt quickly sprang to his defense. According to Leavitt, Trump was simply joking when he made the statement – just a lighthearted comment meant to convey that the current administration is doing such an excellent job that maybe there's no need for elections at all.
But it's unlikely that Trump was being facetious about wanting to abolish midterms altogether. As part of his long-standing campaign to undermine Democratic gains in Congress, Trump has repeatedly expressed concern about the possibility of Republicans losing control of the House and Senate in November – a pattern of behavior that is eerily reminiscent of his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
When questioned by reporters about this apparent inconsistency, Leavitt claimed that Trump's comment was meant to be humorous and dismissive of the idea that Democrats would make gains in Congress. But with midterms just around the corner, Trump's words are likely to have a far more serious impact – at least on his own party.
Despite the White House's attempts to downplay the significance of Trump's comments, recent polling suggests that Democrats are poised to make significant gains in November. According to an Economist/YouGov poll conducted earlier this month, 44% of voters would back a Democratic candidate for midterms, compared to just 40% who would support Republicans – a 4.3 percentage point advantage that is consistent with other recent surveys.
It remains to be seen whether Trump's attempts to delegitimize the midterms will ultimately have any impact on the outcome of the election. But one thing is clear: when it comes to his own party, Trump's words are likely to be interpreted as a call to action – and by extension, an implicit warning to Republicans who may not toe the line.
. Like, if he's not even joking about wanting them abolished, that's a whole other level of crazy. And it's not like his party hasn't been all about undermining Democratic gains in the past... it just feels like they're trying to distract us from their own shortcomings 
. With the polls showing Democrats are gonna make significant gains, I think Trump's comments were meant to intimidate Republicans more than anything else 
. Still can't shake off the feeling that he's not really joking about wanting to abolish midterms altogether...
- midterms aren't up for grabs, dude!
like, do midterms even matter anymore? i mean, isn't it all just gonna end up in washington anyway? 
seriously though, if dems are ahead by 4 points, does anyone actually think repubs stand a chance? 
i mean wouldn't he want to make sure reps keep their jobs so they can back him up on his policies? seems like a weird move to me 
but for real though... if he thinks we shouldnt have elections, that's just crazy talk! 
Wouldn't that be a huge problem? I mean, midterms are like, the system's way of making sure everyone holds each other accountable 
. If Trump thinks they're not necessary... it could lead to some major power struggles in Washington 
. And with polling showing Democrats are about to make gains 
, you can bet Trump's party is getting a little nervous 
. I don't know if Trump was joking or not, but either way, this isn’t something that should be taken lightly 
.