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Abcarian: Trump is doing everything he can to shake down voters ahead of the midterms

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25.10.2026

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The end of the Trump era is in sight.

Sure, our next presidential inauguration is still a twinkle in the nation‘s political eye. But it’s finally possible to imagine a country whose president does not cozy up to murderous dictators, spend his energy enriching himself and his family, pick pointless fights with longtime allies or let a foreign head of state gull him into starting another unwinnable war in the Middle East.

And how President Trump’s star is fading. His current public approval is among the lowest ever recorded for a modern American commander-in-chief at this point in their term.

So yes, the end is nigh. But we also know that Trump will never go gently.

This is not conjecture. We already have proof that Trump is incapable of accepting defeat, that he is not above trying to cheat to get what he wants and that he is perfectly willing to sit back and watch a violent mob try to overturn election results he didn’t like. The Washington Post reported last week that a small, nonpartisan group of current and former U.S. national security officials “motivated by a growing sense of alarm” has been quietly advising state and federal lawmakers on how to prepare for Trump administration interference with the midterm elections.

It’s not just security officials. Most of the country is worried. In a new poll by the Washington Post, ABC News and Ipsos, 70% of more than 2,500 respondents say that although they are confident midterm votes will be counted correctly, they don’t think Trump will accept the results if Republicans lose.

Unsurprisingly, 94% of Democrats and 77% of independents don’t believe Trump will accept losing. But 36% of Republicans doubt his integrity, too. Similar numbers of Americans also believe Trump is using the presidency to enrich himself. Government corruption has now outranked inflation and gas prices as a primary concern for voters.

As........

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