Donald Trump mused about canceling the 2026 midterms during his appearance before a room full of GOP lawmakers.
The president visited the Kennedy Center for the House Republican retreat, where he spoke about the looming election while also going off on a series of other topics.
Trump, 79, complained about even having to run against Democrats before floating the idea.
“I won’t say cancel the election, they should cancel the election because the fake news will say ‘he wants the elections canceled. He’s a dictator.’ They always call me a dictator,” Trump said with a smile.
He argued that “nobody’s worse than Obama and the people that surrounded Biden.”
It’s not the first time the president has made light of the idea of canceling a U.S. election.
Trump made the remarks on January 6, five years after the attack on the U.S. Capitol, as he continues to deny he lost the 2020 election.
Just before talking about calling for the midterms to be cancelled, Trump boasted about his first year back in office. He lamented that the party in power typically loses seats in the midterms.
“But even if it’s successful, they don’t win. I don’t know what it is. There’s something psychological, like you vote against,” Trump said.
The president went on to tout his 2024 election results, which included winning every swing state.
“But they say that when you win he presidency, you lose the midterm,” Trump told the lawmakers.
He told the group of Republicans that he wishes they could explain to him “what the hell is going on with the mind of the public because we have the right policy.”
Trump claimed during his more than an hour speech that he had provided Republicans with a “roadmap.”
“It’s a roadmap to victory. You have so many good nuggets. You have to use them,” Trump declared. “If you can sell them, we’re going to win.”
Trump encouraged Republican lawmakers to focus on favored nations, the border and take the health care issue “away from” Democrats as they look ahead to the midterms.
The president claimed GOP lawmakers can own the issue of health insurance by giving the money to the people rather than insurance companies. However, he still has not provided specifics on a plan or a path forward in Congress.
Instead, Trump urged Republicans to be flexible, and it could be their issue.
“You could own health care. Figure it out!” Trump declared.
However, the president specifically mentioned flexibility when it came to the Hyde Amendment which bans using federal money for abortion. The comment has already gotten pushback from conservatives.
The president also issued a warning to Republicans. During his more than an hour-long remarks, Trump slammed Democrats for impeaching him twice during his first term.
“You gotta win the midterms,” Trump said. “Because if we don’t win the midterms, it’s just going to be, I mean, they’ll find a reason to impeach me. I’ll get impeached.”
