1. United States
2. Iowa
3. Letter

Why Won't the President Just Say He'll Accept the Results? I'm asking you to commit to accepting the results of the 2026 midterm elections, and to call on President Trump to do the same. President Trump told the New York Times in January that he regretted not ordering the National Guard to seize voting machines after his 2020 loss — a loss he still falsely claims was rigged — and admitted he wasn't sure the Guard was "sophisticated enough" to pull it off. Days later, he told Reuters, "when you think of it, we shouldn't even have an election" this year, while complaining about the odds Republicans could lose the House or Senate. Then in February, his former chief strategist Steve Bannon called on him, on air, to "nationalize the election" and "call up the 82nd and 101st Airborne" under the Insurrection Act to "get around every poll." Two in three Americans, according to an August Gallup poll, are now concerned "a great deal" or "a fair amount" about political leaders pressuring election officials to change outcomes. Even Ben Shapiro, hardly a critic of this administration, called Bannon's comments a gift to Democrats. A Votebeat survey of 37 election experts this spring found a majority expected the federal government to deploy military or law enforcement at or near polling places this fall. Commentators who agree on almost nothing else are reaching the same conclusion. I think about the poll workers I've stood in line behind every November — mostly retirees, giving up a long day for a few dollars and a thankless job — and what it would mean to see them replaced by soldiers, or to wonder if my ballot was counted the way I cast it. Voting is one of the few moments where my voice carries the same weight as anyone else's, regardless of money or connections. That only works if everyone, including the president, agrees in advance to accept the outcome, win or lose. I am asking you to: 1 Push for hearings or oversight into the administration's election-security plans this fall, including the vacancy left after Trump removed the remaining commissioners of the Election Assistance Commission. 2 Publicly state that you will accept the certified results of the 2026 midterms in your own race and nationwide, regardless of party. 3 Publicly reject any use of the National Guard, active-duty military, or the Insurrection Act to seize voting equipment or station personnel at polling places. The president hasn't answered the question I opened with, and his own words suggest he doesn't intend to. That's exactly why I need you to answer it instead, clearly and on the record, before votes are cast rather than after. Thank you for your attention to this.