Donald Trump Says He Will Only Accept ‘Honest’ Midterm Results After Calling for Republicans to ‘Nationalize’ Elections

President Donald Trump said he would recognize the outcome of the 2026 midterm elections only if he believes the vote was conducted “honestly,” reigniting controversy just days after he urged Republicans to “take over” voting in multiple places across the country.

In an interview with NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Llamas on Wednesday, Feb. 4, Trump, 79, was asked about remarks he made earlier in the week on a podcast with former FBI deputy director Dan Bongino. On that show, Trump repeated his unfounded claims about the 2020 election, insisting he actually won in states that officially certified Joe Biden as the winner and labeling those states “crooked.”

During the podcast conversation, Trump said: “The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over. We should take over the voting in at least — many, 15 places. The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting.’”

But when pressed by Llamas, Trump argued that he did not use the word “nationalize.”

“I didn’t say ‘nationalize,’” Trump said, before alleging that certain localities run corrupt elections. “I said there are some areas in our country that are extremely corrupt. They have very corrupt elections. Take a look at Detroit, take a look at Philadelphia, take a look at Atlanta. There are some areas that are unbelievably corrupt,” he continued, adding, “I could give you plenty more too,” after naming cities that generally vote Democratic in key swing states.

Trump then pivoted to voter identification, saying, “If Democrats don’t want voter ID, if they don’t want voter ID, that means they want to cheat. We can’t allow cheating in elections,” in apparent reference to Democrats’ opposition to the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, a proposal that would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.

Llamas followed up with a direct question: “Will you trust the results of the midterms if Republicans lose control of Congress?”

“I will if the elections are honest,” Trump replied. He then pointed to his most recent victory and insisted wrongdoing still occurred: “Look, I want — the last one that wants to complain. I just had a great election. They say one of the greatest elections, you will agree, ever. Won all seven swing states. Won 84% of the counties in America, that’s why the map is all red. We just had a great election. I believe there was cheating. I think there was cheating.”

A day earlier, Trump also suggested that “the federal government should get involved” in states he claims cannot administer elections “legally and honestly.”

On Bongino’s podcast, Trump did not specify which “15 places” he wanted Republicans to “take over.” He connected the idea to a central priority of his second term: a mass deportation push aimed at removing immigrants without U.S. citizenship. “If Republicans don’t get them out, you will never win another election as a Republican,” he said.

The U.S. Constitution, however, places election administration primarily in the hands of the states. Article I, Section 4—often called the “Elections Clause”—gives state governments authority over the “Times, Places and Manner” of federal elections, while granting Congress the power to override or set rules for those elections. The president is not given constitutional authority to run elections.

Historically, Republicans have emphasized states’ rights and argued for limiting federal power—an approach that can clash with proposals to federalize or centrally control election administration.

Since 2020, Trump has repeatedly questioned results in states that allow widespread mail-in voting or do not require voter ID, despite repeated assurances from election officials and others that widespread fraud did not occur.

Trump has also voiced a broader complaint about midterms themselves. Speaking to Reuters in January, he said, “It’s some deep psychological thing, but when you win the presidency, you don’t win the midterms.” He then boasted about his administration’s early momentum and added that “when you think of it, we shouldn’t even have an election.”

After that comment drew criticism, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, 28, tried to soften its impact. She said she was present for the Reuters interview—which was not recorded—and insisted Trump was joking.

“He was saying, ‘We’re doing such a great job, we’re doing everything the American people thought. Maybe we should just keep rolling,’” she said. “He was speaking facetiously.”