Trump says the US midterm elections ‘shouldn’t even happen' because of all his accomplishments
When pressed on whether these comments could lead to the midterms being cancelled, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed Trump was “joking”
Donald Trump has railed against the upcoming US midterm elections, declaring they shouldn’t happen because of his successes in the White House.
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In a wide-ranging interview with Reuters, the US president said he has achieved so much during his first year in office that “when you think of it, we shouldn't even have an election” in 2026.
“It's some deep psychological thing, but when you win the presidency, you don't win the midterms,” Trump added.
When pressed on whether these comments could lead to the midterms being cancelled, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed Trump was “joking” and “speaking facetiously.”
It comes as pollsters predict the Republicans could face widespread losses in the November elections, leading Trump’s power and influence to be massively reduced.
This would be in keeping with historical tradition, with sitting presidents typically doing very poorly in midterm elections.
Critics of Trump have suggested he could move to have the elections cancelled in a bid to hold onto power.
The White House has strongly denied this.
It comes amid widespread protests in the United States, as thousands take to the streets to protest the killing of poet and mother Renee Nichole Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis.
The Trump Administration continues to claim the officer was acting in self-defence after the woman used her vehicle as a weapon.
However, this version of events is rejected by the state and local officials, with a bystander's video appearing to show her steering the car away from the agent.
Minneapolis has been a major focus of Donald Trump's immigration crackdown and the latest shooting comes after hundreds more agents were deployed to the city in the wake of Ms Good's death.
The city of Minneapolis urged calm but reiterated calls for ICE to "leave the city and state immediately".