White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that President Donald Trump was “speaking facetiously” when he told Reuters in an interview that “when you think of it, we shouldn’t even have an [midterm] election,” while praising his second-term accomplishments.
Asked separately by a reporter whether the president found the idea of canceling elections humorous—given that “Americans for generations have fought and died for democracy”—Leavitt pushed back, saying in part: “Were you in the room? Only someone like you would take that so seriously.”
Why It Matters
Trump’s approval rating stood at 40% in January, according to the latest Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll, a figure that has remained low throughout his second term. The numbers underscore the political challenge of maintaining enthusiasm among core Republican voters while also winning over independents. A separate Gallup survey found that 45% of U.S. adults identify as independents, a bloc analysts say can swing quickly based on dissatisfaction with the party in power—an environment that could help Democrats in the fall if frustration is directed at the incumbent administration.
What To Know
According to Reuters, Trump voiced concern in the Wednesday interview that Republicans could lose control of the House or Senate in this year’s midterm elections, pointing to the long-standing trend that the president’s party often loses seats during the second year of a term.
“It’s some deep psychological thing, but when you win the presidency, you don’t win the midterms,” Trump said. He then pointed to his record and added that he had accomplished so much that “when you think of it, we shouldn’t even have an election.”
Pocketbook issues are expected to drive much of the campaigning heading into the fall. In a December AP-NORC poll that asked adults an open-ended question about what they want the government to prioritize this year, four in ten cited health care costs—matching immigration. About one-third mentioned the cost of living more broadly, and roughly two in ten pointed to housing costs.
Democrats have focused heavily on affordability, arguing that Trump won in 2024 during a period of high inflation but has not brought prices down. Trump has dismissed the emphasis on affordability as a political “hoax,” while also acknowledging financial pressure on families. He has urged Republicans to reach a deal on health insurance premium subsidies and promised aggressive steps to address housing costs.
Trump has also called on Republicans to promote the sweeping domestic policy law passed last summer as a tax cut for working-class voters. Democrats argue the law’s benefits skew toward higher-income Americans and that it cuts health care and other social programs while household costs remain high.
Republicans hold narrow majorities in both chambers of Congress, and the party out of power typically performs better in midterm elections. Democrats gained 40 House seats in the 2018 midterms during Trump’s first term. Losing the House would make it harder for Republicans to pass major legislation and advance their agenda.
Trump has previously voiced concern about GOP prospects in the midterms, and the party has been working on multiple strategies to strengthen its position, including putting Trump on the campaign trail and pursuing redistricting efforts aimed at improving Republican chances.
What People Are Saying
NAACP National President Derrick Johnson said in a statement shared with Newsweek, “If your record as president is truly popular with the American people, you should have nothing to fear from the upcoming election. But of course, Trump should have a lot to fear, because nothing he’s doing is popular – from tanking the economy, weaponizing federal agents against innocent people, invading sovereign nations, and covering-up pedophiles’ crimes. In the United States, elections are run by the states, not the White House, so regardless of Donald Trump’s ego, the American people will vote, and they will reject his authoritarian attempt to seize control of their government.”
Trump also told the OAN network in an October 2025 interview that he worries about Republican hopes in the November 2026 elections: “The one thing that I worry about is that, if you look over many, many years, I don’t have the numbers, but the person that wins the presidency always seems to lose the midterms.”
What Happens Next
The midterm elections will take place on November 3.
