Senator Schiff Warns of Trump’s Intentions to Challenge 2026 Midterm Election Results

Senator Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California, expressed concerns on Sunday regarding former President Donald Trump’s intentions for the 2026 midterm elections. According to Schiff, Trump plans to contest the election outcome if the Republicans fail to secure seats in Congress.

During an interview on ABC News’ “This Week” with co-anchor Jonathan Karl, Schiff stated, “I think [Trump] intends to try to subvert the elections. And if he loses the vote … he’s prepared to try to take some kind of action to overturn the result, and we really shouldn’t question that.”

Schiff’s comments follow Trump’s ongoing escalation of rhetoric related to the 2020 election results, which he has persistently and falsely labeled as fraudulent. Recently, an FBI operation in Fulton County, Georgia, involved seizing ballots from the 2020 election, where Trump had narrowly lost by fewer than 12,000 votes. Even had he won Georgia, it would not have been sufficient to alter the outcome in the Electoral College.

Since the FBI raid, Trump has advocated for the nationalization of elections and repeatedly alleged, without supporting evidence, that Democrats engage in electoral fraud to win.

“We cannot ignore what they’re telling us they’re going to do, because time and time again, we have seen that they’re willing to go to extraordinary and lawless lengths,” Schiff said.

Concerned about potential attempts to question midterm election results, Schiff expressed skepticism about Republican lawmakers providing any checks. Nevertheless, he expressed trust in the American electorate’s ability to respond.

“The best protection we have is to mobilize the largest voter turnout in U.S. history to so overwhelm the vote … so that there’s no way they can cheat,” Schiff emphasized.

The California senator attributed Trump’s actions to the general unpopularity of his administration’s policies. A Quinnipiac University poll indicates that Trump’s approval rating stands at 37%, while 56% disapprove.

“He hasn’t brought prices down. There’s chaos and killing in American streets by ICE agents. The public has turned against him,” Schiff observed, suggesting that Trump’s ego cannot withstand another electoral defeat.

As Trump maintains his position on alleged voter fraud, Republican lawmakers are pushing for the SAVE America Act. This proposed legislation would mandate proof of citizenship for voter registration, necessitating in-person verification with documents such as a passport or birth certificate, but not a driver’s license. Democrats have voiced worries that this could disenfranchise voters lacking these documents.

When asked by Karl about the possibility of a compromise, such as implementing a photo ID requirement for voting, Schiff expressed his opposition.

“It’s still going to be something that disenfranchises people … that don’t have the ID necessary to vote, even though they are citizens,” Schiff stated. “This is another way to simply try to suppress the vote.”

Meanwhile, a Pew Research Center poll from August 2025 revealed that 83% of U.S. adults support the requirement of a photo ID to vote, including 95% of Republicans and 71% of Democrats.

This situation remains fluid, with further updates anticipated.