Sen. Schiff Warns of Trump’s Potential Plans to Contest 2026 Midterms

Senator Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California, voiced concerns on Sunday regarding former President Donald Trump’s intentions concerning the 2026 midterm elections. Schiff expressed his belief that Trump might attempt to undermine the election results if Republicans fail to secure additional seats in Congress. Speaking on ABC News’ “This Week” with co-anchor Jonathan Karl, Schiff asserted, “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 statements follow Trump’s ongoing rhetoric disputing the 2020 election results, which he has consistently, though falsely, referred to as stolen since his loss. Recently, the FBI raided an election office in Fulton County, Georgia, seizing ballots from the 2020 election on January 28. Trump lost Georgia in 2020 by a narrow margin of fewer than 12,000 votes, and winning the state would still not have garnered him enough votes in the Electoral College to secure a victory.

Since the FBI action, Trump has called for the nationalization of elections, claiming, without providing evidence, that Democrats engage in electoral fraud. Schiff pointed to these actions and statements as indicators of the potential for Trump to contest the 2026 election results. “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 remarked.

When questioned about potential safeguards against undermining the midterm results, Schiff expressed distrust in Republican colleagues in Congress but placed his confidence in the American public. “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,” he stated.

The senator also pointed to what he perceives as the unpopularity of Trump’s administration policies as a catalyst for these actions. Schiff cited a Quinnipiac University poll from the prior week, showing Trump’s approval rating at 37%, with 56% disapproval. “He hasn’t brought prices down. There’s chaos and killing in American streets by ICE agents. The public has turned against him,” Schiff elaborated. “His ego cannot stand another loss.”

Amid Trump’s persistent allegations of voter fraud, Republicans are advancing the SAVE America Act. This proposed legislation would mandate proof of citizenship to register to vote, potentially requiring registrants to present a passport or birth certificate in-person, though excluding a driver’s license as acceptable identification. Democrats have voiced concerns that such requirements could disenfranchise voters lacking these documents.

In response to Karl’s question regarding potential compromises, such as requiring a photo ID to vote, Schiff was firm in 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,” he said, characterizing it as an effort to suppress voter participation.

A Pew Research Center poll from August 2025 indicated broad support for photo ID voting requirements, with 83% of U.S. adults in favor, including 95% of Republicans and 71% of Democrats.