70% Doubt Trump Would Accept GOP Defeat in Midterms

• Seven in ten Americans doubt Trump would accept a Republican defeat.
• Only 28% believe he would recognize an unfavorable election outcome.
• Most Americans remain confident in the electoral process.

Americans doubt Trump would accept unfavorable election results. Seven in ten Americans lack confidence that President Donald Trump would accept the results of the November 3 midterm elections if Republicans lose, according to an Ipsos poll conducted for ABC News and The Washington Post.

According to the survey, only 28% of Americans are confident that Trump would accept an unfavorable outcome. Of those, 10% are «very» confident, while 18% are «somewhat» confident.

Democrats and Republicans Differ on Whether Trump Would Accept Election Results

Among Democrats, 94% doubt Trump would accept a Republican defeat. By contrast, 63% of Republicans believe he would recognize the results, rising to 74% among supporters of the MAGA movement, who account for approximately six in ten Republicans surveyed.

Trump himself again questioned the reliability of the U.S. electoral system earlier this month, claiming there is «a lot of fraud» and expressing his preference for Americans to «vote in person.»

Six in Ten Americans Trust the Electoral Process

The Ipsos survey also found that approximately six in ten Americans are confident the 2026 midterm elections will be conducted fairly and accurately. That proportion rises to more than two-thirds among registered voters.

The findings also show that roughly three in ten voters lack confidence that the elections will be conducted fairly and accurately.

Most Americans Believe Their Votes Will Be Counted Accurately

Confidence in the electoral process is similar among voters from the two major parties, with 70% of Democrats and 67% of Republicans expressing confidence that the elections will be conducted fairly. Among independents, however, that figure drops to 51%.

Even among MAGA Republicans, 65% are confident that their votes will be counted «accurately,» compared with 66% of Americans who voted for Trump in the 2024 presidential election.

A majority of Americans also believe Democratic Party leaders would accept an unfavorable election outcome. According to the survey, 61% are confident Democrats would recognize a defeat, while 38% are not.