WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he will respect the results of the Nov. 3 midterms only if the elections are "honest," after he's spent much of his second White House term casting doubt about the integrity of voting in the United States.
"I will if they're honest elections," Trump told reporters on Oct. 27 when asked by a reporter whether he will respect the election results, regardless of the outcome.
Trump's comments come as polling continues to point to a possible blue-wave midterm election, with Democrats widely favored to win control of the House of Representatives and having multiple viable paths to take control of the Senate.
Trump acknowledged there's a possibility
Republicans lose control of both chambers of Congress when asked how he would work with Democrats if they take over the legislative branch. Trump said he would use his veto pen often under such a scenario.
"I hope that that won't be the case, but if it is, that's happened before with many presidents," Trump said.
In a sign the Justice Department could be willing to challenge election results, the DOJ last week filed a lawsuit to block Alaska’s certification of the U.S. Senate race if Republicans lose. The suit alleged confusion on Alaska's ballot because Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan has an opponent with the same name. Trump told reporters he directed the DOJ to pursue the lawsuit.
Trump this week announced his administration will pay $1 million to anyone who reports voter fraud in United States elections ‒ either in past elections or the midterms ‒ if the tips result in an arrest or conviction.
At the end of his first term, Trump worked to overturn the results of the 2020 election that he lost, culminating in the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol by a mob of his supporters. He's continued to wage unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 election to assert the election was stolen from him.
Leading up to the midterms, Trump has regularly accused Democrats of cheating to win elections, without presenting evidence. In a primetime address to the nation in July, he alleged broad vulnerabilities with voting systems and potential for interference from other nations.
Trump issued an an executive order this year exerting federal control over mail ballots, but the Supreme Court intervened to stop the U.S. Postal Service from implementing the new mail ballot rules for this election. Trump also directed the Department of Homeland Security to look for noncitizens on voting rolls in states.
Alarming Democratic critics, Trump has not ruled out declaring a national emergency around the midterms or invoking the Insurrection Act, which allows the president to deploy the military within the United State during times of civil disorder.
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump says he'll respect midterm results 'if they're honest elections'
