Trump: ‘We shouldn’t even have an election’

President Donald Trump takes part in a signing ceremony in the Oval Office at the White House Jan. 14, 2026. Trump signed a bill allowing schools to serve whole and 2% milk. (Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images)

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that “we shouldn’t even have an election,” as he complained about the political risks his party faces in the 2026 midterms and boasted about his accomplishments.

The remark is the latest in a series of statements in which Trump treats elections not as a constitutional requirement, but as an obstacle — even though he has no authority to cancel or suspend them.

SIGN UP TODAY Get updates straight to your inbox — for free Join 350,000 readers who rely on our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest in voting, elections and democracy.

Trump made the comment in an interview with Reuters while venting about the long-standing reality that the party of a sitting president often loses seats in midterm elections.

“It’s some deep psychological thing, but when you win the presidency, you don’t win the midterms,” Trump said. He then boasted that he had accomplished so much that, “when you think of it, we shouldn’t even have an election.”

Reuters has not yet made Trump’s full comments available, so it’s impossible to know whether Trump followed up by hedging or pulling back. But he has flirted before with the idea of canceling elections — which are mandated by the Constitution and not subject to any presidential approval.

Earlier this month, during a speech to House Republicans, Trump framed voting itself as a partisan weapon, complaining about “pro-voting” Democratic policies before attempting to preempt criticism.

“How we have to even run against these people — I won’t say cancel the election, they should cancel the election,” Trump said. “The fake news would say, ‘He wants the elections canceled. He’s a dictator.’ They always call me a dictator.”

Trump also used the event to muse about presidential term limits, referencing the 22nd Amendment, which limits presidents to two terms.

“I’m not sure, is there a little something out there that I’m not allowed to run?” Trump added. “Let’s assume I was allowed to run. This could be a constitutional movement.”

The law is clear. Trump, or any president, cannot cancel elections. The timing of federal elections is set by Congress, and the administration of those elections is handled by state and local election officials. There is no legal mechanism for a president to declare elections unnecessary, suspend them indefinitely or bypass them altogether.