Trump said he'd accept the midterm results, then called U.S. elections 'crooked'

Late on election night, Tuesday, Nov. 3, President Donald Trump said he would accept a midterm result that was going against his party. He told The New York Times he would accept the results, and he added that Republicans would work with Democrats ¹.

I am absolutely willing to accept those results

Two days later he said something different. At an Oval Office event on Thursday, Nov. 5, Trump told reporters that American elections are crooked ²³. On the same day he posted on social media that votes cast for two minor candidates in Alaska's uncalled U.S. Senate race should be handed to the Republican incumbent, Sen. Dan Sullivan ³⁵.

On tapeWHAS11 · Nov 4

▶2:40

Then: 'absolutely willing'

By late Tuesday it was clear Democrats were having a big night. At 10:50 p.m., according to Time's live coverage, Trump posted that "I wasn't on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!" ¹. About 15 minutes later Time reported his promise to the Times to accept the outcome. He also said, "We'll work with the Democrats, and we'll, you know, look forward to working with them" ¹.

That promise came with a history behind it. In February, NBC's Tom Llamas asked Trump whether he would trust the midterm results if Republicans lost Congress. Trump answered, "I will if the elections are honest" ⁴. He also said, "We can't allow cheating in elections," and he hinted at federal control over elections in states he said could not run them honestly ⁴.

From Channel GOPSchumer: Trump's supplicant Senate days are overChuck Schumer · 163 plays · captioned, with the source named

Now: 'so crooked'

On Thursday, Trump signed a proclamation in the Oval Office and then took questions from reporters ². He went after the Los Angeles mayor's race, which a democratic socialist won ³. He called it "a very disgraceful event" and said that "they found the votes necessary to bring her in" ². Then he made the broader claim.

Our elections are so crooked. You have no idea.

He also turned to Alaska. Trump called the second Dan Sullivan on the ballot "the fake Dan Sullivan," said "It's voter fraud because it was a fraud," and said officials "should be mandated to take the fake Dan Sullivan's votes" and give them to the senator ². On Truth Social he wrote that those votes "should be immediately given to the REAL Dan Sullivan" and added, "There is no other fair solution!" ³.

On tapeNBC News · Nov 4

▶3:11

What the record shows in Alaska

As of Wednesday afternoon, Democrat Mary Peltola, a former congresswoman, led Sullivan by 637 votes, 102,962 to 102,325. That is about 48.0% to 47.7% ⁷. The other Dan Sullivan, a man from Petersburg, Alaska, had 3,600 votes. Republican Gerald Heikes had about 2.3% ⁷. Together, the votes Trump wants moved are larger than Peltola's lead.

Courts have already looked at this. The Alaska Supreme Court ruled that the second Sullivan was eligible to run ⁵. At Trump's direction, the Justice Department sued to block certification of the race if the senator lost, citing possible confusion between the two names. A federal judge dismissed that suit, and the department has appealed ⁶. Democracy Docket, a voting-rights site whose founder's firm represents Peltola in the case, noted that there is no precedent for moving votes from one candidate to another ⁵.

There is also an open dispute about the second Sullivan's candidacy. The New York Times reported that top Peltola aides appeared to have helped recruit him. Peltola denies any involvement, and federal authorities have confirmed a criminal investigation ⁶. No one has been charged in the sources reviewed for this story. Sullivan's campaign said Wednesday it was confident "despite the biggest election cheating scandal in the history of Alaska" ⁶.

Peltola's campaign says the uncounted ballots favor her. Her campaign manager said "Tens of thousands of early votes and absentee ballots are still outstanding" ⁷.

The numbers are clear: when every vote is counted, Mary Peltola will be elected as Alaska's next United States Senator

Alaska accepts domestic absentee ballots for up to 10 days after the election and overseas ballots for up to 15 days ⁶. If no candidate gets more than 50% of first-choice votes, the state's ranked-choice count begins. Officials are aiming for Nov. 18 ⁶⁷.

Why it matters

That matters because Alaska and Mississippi are the last two Senate races still uncalled. Democrats are already set to hold at least 54 Senate seats and more than 250 House seats ³. Moving votes by decree would not change who controls Congress. It would set a precedent that the losing side's leader can demand a different count after the ballots are in.

The pattern is familiar. In February, Trump made his acceptance conditional on the elections being "honest" ⁴. On election night he dropped that condition ¹. Once one close race was within reach, he went back to calling the system crooked ².

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer has focused on what Trump does next, including his warning that he will veto bills from the new Democratic Congress ³.

If Donald Trump does spend the next year vetoing common sense legislation to lower costs and end corruption, this election -- this absolute Republican catastrophe on election night 2026 -- will look like a good day compared to what will come down on Republicans in the 2028 election

The Record

1. Feb 4, 2026Asked by NBC whether he would trust midterm results if Republicans lost, Trump said, "I will if the elections are honest" ⁴.
2. Nov 3, 2026On election night Trump told The New York Times he was "absolutely willing to accept those results" ¹.
3. Nov 5, 2026Peltola led Sullivan by 637 votes in Alaska's partial count; the second Dan Sullivan had 3,600 votes ⁷.
4. Nov 5, 2026In the Oval Office, Trump said, "Our elections are so crooked," and demanded the second Sullivan's votes go to the senator ²³.
5. Nov 18, 2026Target date for Alaska officials to start the ranked-choice count if no Senate candidate tops 50% ⁶.

Free to reprint Republish this story on your site or in your newsletter

Any site, blog or newsletter may run this story free of charge. Keep the credit line and its link to the original, do not sell it, and edit only for length or house style (the full terms). Photos carry their own licenses, noted under each photo on this page, so use the text alone unless a credit says otherwise.

<h2>Trump said he&#39;d accept the midterm results, then called U.S. elections &#39;crooked&#39;</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Receipts Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/trump-said-he-d-accept-the-midterm-results-then-called-u-s-elections-crooked">The GOP Files</a> on Friday, November 6, 2026.</em></p> <p>Late on election night, Tuesday, Nov. 3, President Donald Trump said he would accept a midterm result that was going against his party. He told The New York Times he would accept the results, and he added that Republicans would work with Democrats .</p> <blockquote><p>I am absolutely willing to accept those results</p><p>&mdash; Donald Trump, President, Republican</p></blockquote> <p>Two days later he said something different. At an Oval Office event on Thursday, Nov. 5, Trump told reporters that American elections are crooked . On the same day he posted on social media that votes cast for two minor candidates in Alaska&#39;s uncalled U.S. Senate race should be handed to the Republican incumbent, Sen. Dan Sullivan .</p> <h2>Then: &#39;absolutely willing&#39;</h2> <p>By late Tuesday it was clear Democrats were having a big night. At 10:50 p.m., according to Time&#39;s live coverage, Trump posted that &quot;I wasn&#39;t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!&quot; . About 15 minutes later Time reported his promise to the Times to accept the outcome. He also said, &quot;We&#39;ll work with the Democrats, and we&#39;ll, you know, look forward to working with them&quot; .</p> <p>That promise came with a history behind it. In February, NBC&#39;s Tom Llamas asked Trump whether he would trust the midterm results if Republicans lost Congress. Trump answered, &quot;I will if the elections are honest&quot; . He also said, &quot;We can&#39;t allow cheating in elections,&quot; and he hinted at federal control over elections in states he said could not run them honestly .</p> <h2>Now: &#39;so crooked&#39;</h2> <p>On Thursday, Trump signed a proclamation in the Oval Office and then took questions from reporters . He went after the Los Angeles mayor&#39;s race, which a democratic socialist won . He called it &quot;a very disgraceful event&quot; and said that &quot;they found the votes necessary to bring her in&quot; . Then he made the broader claim.</p> <blockquote><p>Our elections are so crooked. You have no idea.</p><p>&mdash; Donald Trump, President, Republican</p></blockquote> <p>He also turned to Alaska. Trump called the second Dan Sullivan on the ballot &quot;the fake Dan Sullivan,&quot; said &quot;It&#39;s voter fraud because it was a fraud,&quot; and said officials &quot;should be mandated to take the fake Dan Sullivan&#39;s votes&quot; and give them to the senator . On Truth Social he wrote that those votes &quot;should be immediately given to the REAL Dan Sullivan&quot; and added, &quot;There is no other fair solution!&quot; .</p> <h2>What the record shows in Alaska</h2> <p>As of Wednesday afternoon, Democrat Mary Peltola, a former congresswoman, led Sullivan by 637 votes, 102,962 to 102,325. That is about 48.0% to 47.7% . The other Dan Sullivan, a man from Petersburg, Alaska, had 3,600 votes. Republican Gerald Heikes had about 2.3% . Together, the votes Trump wants moved are larger than Peltola&#39;s lead.</p> <p>Courts have already looked at this. The Alaska Supreme Court ruled that the second Sullivan was eligible to run . At Trump&#39;s direction, the Justice Department sued to block certification of the race if the senator lost, citing possible confusion between the two names. A federal judge dismissed that suit, and the department has appealed . Democracy Docket, a voting-rights site whose founder&#39;s firm represents Peltola in the case, noted that there is no precedent for moving votes from one candidate to another .</p> <p>There is also an open dispute about the second Sullivan&#39;s candidacy. The New York Times reported that top Peltola aides appeared to have helped recruit him. Peltola denies any involvement, and federal authorities have confirmed a criminal investigation . No one has been charged in the sources reviewed for this story. Sullivan&#39;s campaign said Wednesday it was confident &quot;despite the biggest election cheating scandal in the history of Alaska&quot; .</p> <p>Peltola&#39;s campaign says the uncounted ballots favor her. Her campaign manager said &quot;Tens of thousands of early votes and absentee ballots are still outstanding&quot; .</p> <blockquote><p>The numbers are clear: when every vote is counted, Mary Peltola will be elected as Alaska&#39;s next United States Senator</p><p>&mdash; Cheryl Bruce, Campaign manager for Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola, Alaska</p></blockquote> <p>Alaska accepts domestic absentee ballots for up to 10 days after the election and overseas ballots for up to 15 days . If no candidate gets more than 50% of first-choice votes, the state&#39;s ranked-choice count begins. Officials are aiming for Nov. 18 .</p> <h2>Why it matters</h2> <p>That matters because Alaska and Mississippi are the last two Senate races still uncalled. Democrats are already set to hold at least 54 Senate seats and more than 250 House seats . Moving votes by decree would not change who controls Congress. It would set a precedent that the losing side&#39;s leader can demand a different count after the ballots are in.</p> <p>The pattern is familiar. In February, Trump made his acceptance conditional on the elections being &quot;honest&quot; . On election night he dropped that condition . Once one close race was within reach, he went back to calling the system crooked .</p> <p>Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer has focused on what Trump does next, including his warning that he will veto bills from the new Democratic Congress .</p> <blockquote><p>If Donald Trump does spend the next year vetoing common sense legislation to lower costs and end corruption, this election -- this absolute Republican catastrophe on election night 2026 -- will look like a good day compared to what will come down on Republicans in the 2028 election</p><p>&mdash; Chuck Schumer, Senate Democratic leader, D-N.Y.</p></blockquote> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/trump-said-he-d-accept-the-midterm-results-then-called-u-s-elections-crooked">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/trump-said-he-d-accept-the-midterm-results-then-called-u-s-elections-crooked.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

Copy the HTML Paste it into your editor's HTML view. The one-pixel image at the end tells our newsroom the story ran; it stores no reader data.

Sources

1. Time, “Midterm Elections 2026: Live Results, Key Races, and More” (2026-11-03). time.com/article/2026/11/03/midterm-elections-2026-key-races
2. Tommy Christopher (Substack transcript), “Trump Oval Office Signing 11-05-2026: Full Video And Transcript” (2026-11-05). tommyxtopher.substack.com/p/trump-oval-office-signing-11-05-
3. AFP via Yahoo News, “Trump complains but Democratic steamroller powers ahead” (2026-11-05). yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-complains-democratic-
4. HuffPost via Yahoo News, “Trump Gives Chilling Response When Asked If He'll Accept The Midterm Results” (2026-02-05). yahoo.com/news/articles/hoo-boy-trump-asked-whether-13401683
5. Democracy Docket, “After midterm rout, Trump doubles down on Alaska Senate seat scheme” (2026-11-05). democracydocket.com/news-alerts/after-midterm-rout-trump-dou
6. AP via PBS NewsHour, “Alaskans are waiting for more votes in Senate and governor's races. Both could go to ranked tabulations” (2026-11-05). pbs.org/newshour/politics/alaskans-are-waiting-for-more-vote
7. Alaska's News Source (KTUU), “Peltola and Sullivan campaigns project wins while a quarter of ballots are outstanding” (2026-11-05). alaskasnewssource.com/2026/11/06/peltola-sullivan-campaigns-

Found an error? Tell the newsroom. Corrections are noted at the top of the story.