MaddowBlog-Trump muses about canceling the 2026 midterm elections, before saying he won't

[LetMyPeopleVote]

Given his record, when the president mentions canceling elections, it’s difficult simply to shrug one’s shoulders.

Trump muses about canceling the 2026 midterm elections, before saying he won’t

— Andrew Klavan (@andrew-klavan.bsky.social) 2026-01-07T18:03:01.224Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-midterm-elections-cancelling-2026

The comments came to mind watching Donald Trump address the House Republican Conference at the Kennedy Center. Time magazine reported:

President Donald Trump on Tuesday floated the idea of canceling future U.S. elections, elevating a longstanding concern among critics of how he might try to limit threats to his power in his second term.

Trump brought up the idea while speaking to House Republicans at their annual retreat, and then quickly insisted he was not calling for such a move, casting his remarks as a critique of Democrats rather than a proposal.

In context, the president was rambling about his contempt for Democrats, which led to related electoral thoughts.

Trump: "I won't say cancel the election, they should cancel the election because the fake news will say 'He wants the elections cancelled! He's a dictator.' They always call me a dictator."

— The Bulwark (@thebulwark.com) 2026-01-06T15:37:50.623Z

...In August, for example, during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — whose country cannot hold elections during Russia’s deadly war — Trump said, “Say, 3 1/2 years from now, so you mean, if we happen to be in a war with somebody, no more elections.”

This is the same American president who has repeatedly talked about ignoring the U.S. Constitution and seeking a third term. Trump has similarly discussed “terminating” parts of the Constitution that stand in the way of his ambitions and creating a temporary American “dictatorship.”

What’s more, the president’s comments at the Kennedy Center came on the fifth anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack — political violence Trump instigated as part of an effort to overturn the results of an election he lost and to remain in office despite the will of American voters.

So when Trump starts musing about canceling elections, it’s difficult simply to shrug one’s shoulders and laugh it off as meaningless nonsense.

[Wicked Blue]

1. They're either going to cancel them or cheat MASSIVELY

and/or declare martial law.

I realize lots of DUers and others are pinning their hopes on a huge Blue Wave this November.

Pardon my cynicism, but I don't believe there is going to BE an election.

I fervently hope I'm wrong.

[Bayard]

2. From the Brennan Center for Justice:

"Fact: The presidential election cannot be canceled — the Constitution requires that presidential elections take place this year.

No one, not even the president, can cancel the presidential election. Congress set the current date for presidential elections in 1845 and it has been held on this date every four years — even through the Civil War and two world wars – for over 175 years.

Furthermore, the Constitution requires the president’s term to end on January 20. There are no exceptions that would allow the president to stay in office after that date unless the president is reelected."