President Donald Trump, in an interview with Reuters, on Wednesday, mused that his administration’s accomplishments this past year were so significant that “we shouldn’t even have an election.”
His remarks coincide with forecasts and polls showing that Democrats are now favored to take back control of the House of Representatives in November. They sparked concerns online, with one person saying on X “Who could have possibly seen this coming.”
Trump’s comments on recent poll results
In the interview, Trump expressed frustration about the possibility that Republicans could lose seats in both chambers. He noted that historically, the party holding the presidency often loses ground during midterms.
The president was asked to address the new polling numbers, one from The Lincoln Project, which reported that this week, the Democrats have lately won 18 House races, and it’s believed that the Senate is also up for grabs.
He said, “It’s some deep psychological thing, but when you win the presidency, you don’t win the midterms.” He added to that that his second term’s first year had gone so smoothly that “when you think of it, we shouldn’t even have an election.”
Trump also dismissed a question about the public’s concern over high prices while claiming that the U.S. economy was the strongest “in history.”
He added, “A lot of times, you can’t convince a voter. You have to just do what’s right. And then a lot of the things I did were not really politically popular. They turned out to be when it worked out so well.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed the comment on midterms during a press briefing, saying Trump was “simply joking” and “speaking facetiously.”
What are the polls saying?
The Cook Political Report changed the outcome of eighteen midterm elections to the advantage of Democrats. Eight elections went from “Likely Democrat” to “Solid Democrat” outlooks, and seven more went into “Toss Up” or “Lean Democrat” territory, according to an analysis released on January 15.
Cook analyst Erin Covey noted that Democrats’ overperformance in the most recent special elections and President Donald Trump’s approval ratings are both factors that are favoring the Dems.
Erin wrote, “House Democrats only need to flip three seats to win a majority. He added, “Even if Democrats lose some of their own members defending particularly difficult seats, the number of Republicans in peril should give Democrats more than enough opportunities to win 218 seats.”
Prediction markets have even indicated a significant probability that Democrats could take control of the House in November 2026.
Moreover, there is a rising number of retirements from the House ahead of the 2026 midterms. House Speaker Mike Johnson is facing an only two-vote margin, which includes a Republican congressman from Kentucky who frequently votes against policies that President Trump supports.
Later this spring, a special election will be held to fill another Democratic seat, reducing the GOP’s majority to one vote.