(New York) If the world laughed when Donald Trump started talking about acquiring Greenland, in August 2019 the subject is no longer considered a joke.
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Should the same be true for the American president’s new favorite, namely the cancellation of the mid-term elections, a vote which could end the Republican stranglehold on Congress and open the way to investigations into his administration and even a third impeachment procedure against him?
“When you think about it, we shouldn’t even have an election,” Donald Trump said on January 14 in an interview with Reuters, after touting his administration’s accomplishments.
The next day, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt assured that the president was “only joking.” “He said, ‘We’re doing a great job, … maybe we should just keep going.’ »
The tenant of the White House addressed this subject for the second time this year. On January 6, he expressed surprise at the phenomenon according to which the party in power in the White House often loses seats in Congress during midterm elections. A phenomenon which could be repeated in November.
“I wish you could explain to me what’s going on in the public’s mind, because we have the right policies,” he told House Republicans gathered at the Kennedy Center.
And added: “I will not say: “We must cancel the elections, they should cancel the elections”, because the fake news will say: “He wants the elections canceled. He’s a dictator.” »
Declarations and maneuvers
One thing is certain: as president, Donald Trump does not have the power to cancel the midterm elections. Under the terms of the American Constitution, a new Congress must be sworn in on January 3, 2027. And only a new law could change the date of the next midterm elections, November 3, 2026. What’s more, the organization of the elections is up to the states.
Nevertheless: in recent months, Donald Trump has multiplied the declarations and maneuvers testifying to his determination to influence the mid-term elections or to undermine their legitimacy.
During his recent interview with the New York Timeshe expressed regret for not having seized voting machines in key states in the 2020 presidential election to find evidence of fraud.
When the Times Asked if the National Guard could have executed such a mission, he replied, “I’m not sure they’re sophisticated enough.” »
Donald Trump did not mention that the idea of seizing voting machines was rejected out of hand by United States Attorney General Bill Barr as well as senior officials at the Department of Homeland Security.
Today, the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security are led by officials whose loyalty to the president appears to have no bounds.
And Donald Trump has not abandoned his criticism of voting machines or mail-in voting.
Ready for any eventuality
“I will start a movement to eliminate mail-in voting and, for that matter, the very inaccurate, very expensive and extremely controversial voting machines,” he wrote on Truth Social last August without providing evidence. He followed up by promising to sign a presidential decree “to help ensure honesty in the 2026 midterm elections.”
The presidential decree is still awaited. And it will be challenged in court if it sees the light of day. But Donald Trump’s criticism of voting machines and mail-in voting could give him the opportunity to cast doubt on the results if he loses.
Meanwhile, the president’s efforts to influence the midterm elections are already having concrete consequences. The president convinced Republican states, including Texas, to change their electoral maps to increase the number of seats in the House of Representatives that Republicans could win in November. However, the retaliation of Democratic states, including California, could reduce the Republican advantage.
And then there is the threat of military deployment in certain states to intimidate voters or interfere in the electoral process. Last week, Adrian Fontes, Arizona’s secretary of state, said he was preparing for any eventuality, like most other election officials.
“We are considering a whole series of scenarios to ensure we are ready to implement the necessary procedures to preserve our democracy,” said the elected Democrat during an activity organized by the magazine The Atlantic. “So if someone tries to undo anything, if someone tries to take things that don’t belong to them, we can go to court, get orders and hopefully have the support of law enforcement so that the process can proceed normally. »
After a pause, he added: “But here’s the thing: The very fact that we are forced to consider these scenarios says a lot about the health of our democracy. »
Question : “What is a rogue state? And is the United States one of them? », asks Danielle Villemaire.
Answer : On this issue, the United States is both judge and party. The United States originated this subjective term used to refer to countries that are a threat to its national security and that of its allies. Rogue state may include a regime that has violated international law by acquiring weapons of mass destruction, supporting terrorism, or participating in an illegal invasion. Experts have ruled that the United States’ capture of ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro violated international law.
