Trump questions the midterm results on Truth Social six days after saying he would accept them

President Donald Trump on Monday questioned the legitimacy of last week's midterm results, writing on Truth Social: "Does anybody really believe that this 'Election' was honest," according to CNBC and the BBC. He added that "some early voting 'dumps' were so large that it was impossible to win" and that "it's all about the machines, which are far more important than the voter."

The post came six days after Republicans lost both chambers of Congress. On election night, Trump told The New York Times he was "absolutely willing" to accept the results and to work with Democrats, as both outlets reported.

What the post said, and what it did not

The BBC notes the post offered no specific evidence of error or wrongdoing. It cited no state, county or machine type. It also raised the polls: "How could the Polls be so wrong???" The BBC reports that surveys before the election from several pollsters and news outlets had suggested Republicans could lose seats in both chambers.

Charles Stewart III, a political scientist at MIT, told the BBC that vote reporting on election night followed the standard patterns, and that states such as Florida and Georgia report some results quickly because early and mail ballots are already counted. Ruth Greenwood of Harvard's Election Law Clinic said slower counts in some states "doesn't mean anything nefarious is occurring."

The count as it stands

The BBC puts Democrats at 54 Senate seats and 254 House seats, with counting continuing. Networks had not called the Senate races in Alaska and Mississippi as of its report. State and local officials across the country said voting had been mostly problem-free, the BBC reported, though extreme weather closed some locations and a handful of technical or administrative issues slowed counting in places. Our own earlier tally is in our results story, and the open Senate races are covered in this update. House totals differ between outlets while counting continues.

The Justice Department also filed lawsuits days before the vote challenging counts and certification in states including California and Alaska, and the BBC reports judges ruled against it in nearly all instances.

Reaction

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer wrote on X that "Donald Trump's pathetic return to election denialism was inevitable." CNBC reports Trump had also named Stephen Miller to replace Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff later in the week after the election. Trump has said the Iran war contributed to the Republican losses, telling Fox News that voters were unwilling to accept "paying more for gasoline," per the BBC.

Why it matters beyond politics

For businesses, the practical question is whether this changes what Congress does next, not who won. Election results are certified by states, not by the president. Markets have been trading the new split in power since last week, and we have followed that in our election-week market coverage. Nothing in Monday's post changes a count or a certification deadline by itself. Watch the two uncalled Senate races and any new litigation, which would be the concrete steps.

Sources: CNBC; BBC News. Quotes are from Trump's Truth Social post and the officials named, as reported by those outlets. This is news reporting, not investment advice.