How far will Trump go to make sure MAGA wins big in the 2026 midterms?
Arizona senator Mark Kelly tells The News Agents why he believes Donald Trump can’t let go of his 2020 election loss, and how likely his plans to influence the 2026 midterms for the Republicans are to succeed.
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In brief…
- Senator Mark Kelly says Donald Trump has such “thin skin” that he is consumed by one electoral loss, despite winning two.
- Kelly believes Trump is rattled by polling suggesting the November midterms will see big wins for the Democrats.
- He says changing laws for Republicans to control the elections, and therefore the voting, would be tricky for Trump, but not impossible.
What’s the story?
Donald Trump won elections in 2016 and 2024. He renamed The Kennedy Centre after himself. He invaded Venezuela to claim its oil for America.
But it isn't enough. The president cannot let go of his election loss in 2020.
Since the 2020 election, Trump and his associates have filed 62 lawsuits claiming the election was rigged in favour of Joe Biden. All have been dismissed, some almost immediately, including by judges appointed by Trump himself.
In January 2026, the FBI seized original copies of voter ballots in Fulton County, Georgia in a new effort to prove voter fraud in 2020. He has also called for Republicans to "nationalise the voting" in upcoming US midterm elections.
He wants to be in control of voting in 15 states, and Democratic senator Mark Kelly believes his state of Arizona may be among those targeted.
"I imagine my state, Arizona, is probably on his list," Kelly tells Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel.
"He wants Republicans to take over the elections – can you get more partisan than putting a party in charge of the elections?
"He grabbed the ballots out of Georgia because he probably wants to do some ridiculous audit and put his finger on the scale."
Kelly says Trump is so affected by one electoral loss that he cannot enjoy his controversial successes.
"His skin is so thin that he cannot accept a world where he lost a presidential election," Kelly adds.
"This guy won in 2016. He won in 2024 as a convicted felon. You’d think he would be able to take a victory lap."
"He still wants to try to convince people that might be on the fence that he actually won that election."
How nationalising the midterms would swing it for MAGA
Kelly believes Trump's renewed interest in his 2020 loss, and sowing distrust in American people around the US voting system, could be due to polling suggesting major wins for the Democrats.
"I think Donald Trump sees the writing on the wall here – he's going to lose big in November, and that's why he's going to go grab the ballots," Kelly says.
"That's why he's saying we should nationalise the elections, that's why he's saying pass this crappy legislation here, which is going to make it really hard for people to vote, especially if you don't have a passport."
Kelly says affecting a US election is difficult, due to the sheer number of counties – but not impossible.
"I think you can do it, but boy, it takes a huge effort, and that's why he wants to nationalise the election," he adds.
"If you nationalise it and you make the federal government run it, it'll be running through one office instead of 2,000 entities."