Latest news with #midterms2026
Fox News
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Liberals float Trump will tamper with, cancel midterm elections
Several liberal commentators, including ex-MSNBC host Joy Reid and Democratic strategist James Carville, have suggested in recent weeks that the 2026 midterms will be tampered with or outright canceled by President Donald Trump. During an appearance on "The Jim Acosta Show" earlier this month, Carville told the former CNN anchor he thinks there's a major risk of Trump tampering with votes in the 2026 midterm elections to make sure the Democratic Party can't oppose his second-term agenda. "In the short word, yes," Carville said in response to Acosta relaying a viewer question about whether they believe Trump will end up "tampering" with the midterm votes. "In the longer words, very," Carville added. "I don't put anything past him — nothing — to try to call the election off, to do anything he can," the Democratic strategist continued. "He can think of things like that, that – that, you know, we can't because we're not accustomed to thinking like that. We always assume there's going to be an election." "I don't think Trump intends to leave office," Reid told far-left writer Wajahat Ali on his Substack on July 3. "I've been very clear about that. I think he intends to stay in office like Putin till he dies." Ali declared that Trump would declare martial law and not hold elections. "I am afraid, and I want your thoughts on this, that he is going to say, 'Folks, I'm the commander in chief. I have to protect you. We're getting attacked by Antifa, the Muslims, the invasion, El Salvadorans. I have to declare martial law and I have to punt. I have to punt the elections. But don't worry. I'll bring back elections when they're safe,'" Ali argued. Reid agreed and said she doesn't assume that there will be midterms in 2026. "I've been saying, whenever Democrats say to me, this is the reason we have to coalesce for 2026, I always add to the end of that sentence, yeah, assuming we actually have free and fair elections. I think it's insane, honestly, to just assume we're going to have normal elections next year. I don't assume that," she told Ali. Charlamagne Tha God argued during his "Breakfast Club" radio show on July 8 that the Republican-led "Big, Beautiful Bill" is so unpopular, Trump and the GOP must only be pushing it because they know the upcoming elections are rigged. Noting that the bill was criticized by Republicans and Democrats, the radio host suggested it must mean the elections are fixed. "But if the GOP doesn't seem to be concerned about that, then what does that tell y'all folks?" he asked. "The fight is probably already fixed, when it comes to the midterm elections, you know, and 2028." "I just feel like, you know, if something is, you know, political suicide, if you're using that kind of language for a bill and you pass it anyway, then you know something that the rest of us don't know," the radio host suggested. "Or you know something that the rest of us do know, and we're just sitting around waiting for the inevitable to happen." He added, "Free and fair elections my a--." Former CNN commentator Angela Rye said last week that she believed Trump and the Republicans stole the 2024 election and are planning to steal the 2026 election. "I think me and [Tiffany Cross] really might feel a way about telling y'all how many days are left till the midterms because I don't really know this thing's going to damn happen," Rye said on her "Native Land Pod" podcast. "Even if they are going to happen, are they going to cheat like they did, I still feel like they did, in the 2024 election? I don't have data. I got a gut feeling, but I'm going to tell you about the Black woman and the Holy Ghost. We be spot on," she added. Failed Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacy Abrams alluded to not having elections at all during an interview on late-night TV last week, where she was asked on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" to speak about a viral clip of her suggesting that the U.S. was on its way to becoming an autocracy. "Step nine, you start to encourage and incentivize private violence. You send the U.S. Marines into spaces they should not be. You send the National Guard in. You kidnap people off of the streets and pretend that's normal, because that's how you quiet dissent," she said. "And once you've done those nine steps, step 10 is easy. That's when you decide there won't be new elections because everyone is either afraid, poor, broken, or complicit," Abrams told guest host Anthony Anderson.
Al Arabiya
08-07-2025
- Business
- Al Arabiya
Even without wins, Elon Musk's party may be threat to Trump: Analysts
Donald Trump has shrugged off Elon Musk's plans for a new political party as 'ridiculous,' but the announcement underscored the threat the disaffected former ally poses to US Republicans defending paper-thin congressional majorities. Musk's weekend launch of the 'America Party' came in the wake of Trump signing into law a sprawling domestic policy bill that the tech mogul has slammed over estimates that it will balloon the deficit. Musk has been light on policy detail, but is expected to target a handful of House and Senate seats in next year's midterm elections where the sitting Republican voted for Trump's bill after preaching fiscal responsibility. 'Elon Musk's America Party is a wild card that could upend the midterms in 2026, particularly for Republicans,' said political analyst Matt Shoemaker, a former Republican congressional candidate and an ex-intelligence officer. 'With bare majorities in Congress, the Republicans should be worried.' Musk, the world's richest person, had teased the idea of a new party for weeks, running an informal social media poll in June that showed 80 percent support among 5.6 million respondents. Unlike previous third parties, his would have almost limitless resources, and a talisman with a large constituency of young American men who see him as a maverick genius and a superstar. 'Musk's brand appeals to disaffected independents and younger, tech-savvy voters who might otherwise break for Republicans in swing districts,' Shoemaker told AFP. With a personal wealth estimated at 405 billion dollars, Musk has already demonstrated that he is willing to spend big on politics, lavishing 277 million dollars on Trump's 2024 campaign. Yet a more recent foray into Wisconsin politics – he spent 20 million dollars only to see his candidate for the state supreme court lose handily – has underlined the limits of wealth and celebrity in politics. And then there is the political difficulty of building support in the American heartland, among voters who are not part of Musk's Silicon Valley 'tech bro' bubble. Time magazine's 2021 Person of the Year was once liked by a broad cross-section of Americans, but he saw his numbers plunge after joining the Trump administration as the president's costcutter-in-chief. Musk's net favorability in the most recent rating published by Nate Silver, one of the most respected US pollsters, is underwater at minus 18.1, compared with a slightly less subaquatic minus 6.6 for Trump. 'While you don't want to paint with too broad a brush, the Republican base and MAGA movement are fairly inseparable in today's political climate,' said Flavio Hickel, associate professor of political science at Washington College in Maryland. 'And their support for Trump has been unwavering despite recent controversies. It's hard to imagine any political project associated with Musk siphoning off votes from individuals who approve of Donald Trump.' While multiple Republicans and Democrats have switched to independent, wins for third parties have been rare in modern US history. The Conservative Party of New York State in the 1970s and the Farmer–Labor Party in the 1930s are the only minor parties to win Senate seats in the last century. Smaller parties saw more success in the House in the early 20th century but have only won one seat since the 1950s. AFP spoke to multiple analysts who pointed to the many hurdles thrown in front of third-party candidates trying to get onto the ballot in a system designed to favor the status quo. These include minimum signature requirements, filing fees and other onerous state-specific regulations on age, residency and citizenship. 'Remember in early 2024 the so-called 'No Labels' party that was going to chart a middle course for the 2024 elections?' said veteran political strategist Matt Klink. 'They fizzled out in epic fashion.' Analysts agree that winning seats in Congress may be a stretch, but say Musk can inflict pain on Trump by siphoning votes from vulnerable sitting Republicans or throwing cash at primary opponents of the president's preferred candidates. 'Elon's party won't win seats, but it could cost Republicans plenty,' said Evan Nierman, the founder and CEO of global crisis PR firm Red Banyan. 'In tight districts, even a few points siphoned off from the right could flip control.'
CTV News
08-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Even without wins, Musk's party may be threat to Trump: analysts
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk walks to the stage to speak at the Butler Farm Show, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, file) Donald Trump has shrugged off Elon Musk's plans for a new political party as 'ridiculous' - but the announcement underscored the threat the disaffected former ally poses to U.S. Republicans defending paper-thin congressional majorities. Musk's weekend launch of the 'America Party' came in the wake of Trump signing into law a sprawling domestic policy bill that the tech mogul has slammed over estimates that it will balloon the deficit. Musk has been light on policy detail, but is expected to target a handful of House and Senate seats in next year's midterm elections where the sitting Republican voted for Trump's bill after preaching fiscal responsibility. 'Elon Musk's America Party is a wild card that could upend the midterms in 2026, particularly for Republicans,' said political analyst Matt Shoemaker, a former Republican congressional candidate and an ex-intelligence officer. 'With bare majorities in Congress, the Republicans should be worried.' Musk, the world's richest person, had teased the idea of a new party for weeks, running an informal social media poll in June that showed 80 percent support among 5.6 million respondents. Unlike previous third parties, his would have almost limitless resources, and a talisman with a large constituency of young American men who see him as a maverick genius and a superstar. 'Musk's brand appeals to disaffected independents and younger, tech-savvy voters who might otherwise break for Republicans in swing districts,' Shoemaker told AFP. 'Balance of power' With a personal wealth estimated at $405 billion, Musk has already demonstrated that he is willing to spend big on politics, lavishing $277 million on Trump's 2024 campaign. Yet a more recent foray into Wisconsin politics -- he spent $20 million only to see his candidate for the state supreme court lose handily -- has underlined the limits of wealth and celebrity in politics. And then there is the political difficulty of building support in the American heartland, among voters who are not part of Musk's Silicon Valley 'tech bro' bubble. Time magazine's 2021 Person of the Year was once liked by a broad cross-section of Americans, but he saw his numbers plunge after joining the Trump administration as the president's costcutter-in-chief. Musk's net favorability in the most recent rating published by Nate Silver, one of the most respected U.S. pollsters, is underwater at -18.1, compared with a slightly less subaquatic -6.6 for Trump. 'While you don't want to paint with too broad a brush, the Republican base and MAGA movement are fairly inseparable in today's political climate,' said Flavio Hickel, associate professor of political science at Washington College in Maryland. 'And their support for Trump has been unwavering despite recent controversies. It's hard to imagine any political project associated with Musk siphoning off votes from individuals who approve of Donald Trump.' 'Fizzled out' While multiple Republicans and Democrats have switched to independent, wins for third parties have been rare in modern U.S. history. The Conservative Party of New York State in the 1970s and the Farmer–Labor Party in the 1930s are the only minor parties to win Senate seats in the last century. Smaller parties saw more success in the House in the early 20th century but have only won one seat since the 1950s. AFP spoke to multiple analysts who pointed to the many hurdles thrown in front of third-party candidates trying to get onto the ballot in a system designed to favor the status quo. These include minimum signature requirements, filing fees and other onerous state-specific regulations on age, residency and citizenship. 'Remember in early 2024 the so-called 'No Labels' party that was going to chart a middle course for the 2024 elections?' said veteran political strategist Matt Klink. 'They fizzled out in epic fashion.' Analysts agree that winning seats in Congress may be a stretch, but say Musk can inflict pain on Trump by syphoning votes from vulnerable sitting Republicans or throwing cash at primary opponents of the president's preferred candidates. 'Elon's party won't win seats, but it could cost Republicans plenty,' said Evan Nierman, the founder and CEO of global crisis PR firm Red Banyan. 'In tight districts, even a few points siphoned off from the right could flip control.'
Russia Today
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Musk outlines strategy to break up two-party US system
Elon Musk has signaled that his new political initiative will focus on disrupting the two-party system in Congress, declaring that the 'America Party' aims to challenge the dominance of both Republicans and Democrats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The remarks follow the tech billionaire's announcement over the weekend that he is moving forward with plans to launch a new political party. Musk has positioned the America Party as an alternative to what he called the 'Republican/Democrat Uniparty,' accusing both major factions of mismanaging the country's finances and stifling voter choice. 'Backing a candidate for president is not out of the question, but the focus for the next 12 months is on the House and the Senate,' Musk wrote on X on Sunday, outlining his short-term priority to target the US midterm elections in November 2026, when 33 of the 100 Senate seats and all 435 House seats will be up for grabs. 'The way we're going to crack the uniparty system is by using a variant of how Epaminondas shattered the myth of Spartan invincibility at Leuctra: extremely concentrated force at a precise location on the battlefield,' Musk previously stated in another post. Musk also doubled down on his criticism of President Donald Trump's fiscal policy, questioning the value of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a temporary agency Trump appointed him to lead. 'What the heck was the point of @DOGE if he's just going to increase the debt by $5 trillion??' Musk wrote. In a post on Truth Social earlier on Sunday, Trump criticized Musk for what he described as erratic behavior in recent weeks, calling the entrepreneur a 'train wreck' and accusing him of promoting 'disruption and chaos' that undermines the stability of the American political system. 'I am saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely 'off the rails,' essentially becoming a TRAIN WRECK over the past five weeks,' Trump wrote. 'He even wants to start a Third Political Party, despite the fact that they have never succeeded in the United States – the system seems not designed for them.'Musk, who supported Trump during his return to the White House last year, stepped down from his role in DOGE last month after clashing with the administration over a sweeping tax and spending package known as the 'Big Beautiful Bill.' The legislation, signed into law on July 4, includes trillions of dollars in new expenditures, cuts to social programs, and a sharp increase to the federal debt ceiling.
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Carville: GOP megabill passage will be seen as ‘mass extinction event'
Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville said during a recent interview that the Republican tax and spending bill, which President Trump signed Friday, will be seen as a 'mass extinction event,' predicting the Democratic Party will pick up more than 40 House seats in the 2026 midterms. 'And I like with the unified party — every Democrat voted against this. Every Democrat, regardless of the ideology, their ethnicity … we can all rally around this, and we can run on this single issue all the way to 2026. And Paul is right, we're going to pick up more than 40 House seats,' Carville, the former strategist for former President Clinton's campaign, said during a Thursday appearance on CNN's 'Anderson Cooper 360.' 'I can tell you what the poll says today: The Democrat in New Jersey is up 20 points. That's in a state that we won by 2 1/2 or 2 [points] in 2021. I mean, you know, political anthropologists are going to look back at this, and it's going to be called a mass extinction event because there are a lot of them are going to be extinct,' Carville told host Anderson Cooper. The House GOP passed President Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' Thursday, sending it to the president who is expected to sign it Friday evening. The package, which was adopted by a 218-214 vote, contains the president's major spending priorities, extending the 2017 tax cuts and also cuts to Medicaid, which some Republican members of both chambers have expressed concerns about. All but two House Republicans — Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.) — voted for the package Thursday. All Democrats voted against the bill. Trump hammered Democrats late Thursday during his rally in Des Moines, Iowa, saying he hates them for not supporting the massive package and that Republicans will be able to benefit from those votes politically when midterm elections come around. 'All of the things we did with the tax cuts and rebuilding our military, not one Democrat voted for us. And I think we use it in the campaign that's coming up, the midterms,' Trump told the crowd. 'But all of the things that we've given, and they wouldn't vote. Only because they hate Trump. But I hate them, too. You know that? I really do, I hate them,' the president added. 'I cannot stand them, because I really believe they hate our country, you want to know the truth.' Carville said Thursday that 'when people go to the polls voting for this, I promise you, I promise you, this thing is really — it's like 25, 26 points underwater already.' 'And we haven't even started our education program,' the longtime operative added. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
