The White House just gave what may be the most astonishingly weak explanation yet for one of the most alarming comments by President Donald Trump this year — and it’s making the situation even worse. When Trump suggested the United States “shouldn’t even have” the 2026 midterm elections, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt didn’t defend the idea — she laughed it off as a joke.
It happened after Trump’s much-scrutinized Reuters interview, where the 79-year-old president admitted the GOP might get creamed in November and then casually boasted that he’s done so much that “when you think of it, we shouldn’t even have an election.” That’s not hyperbole or a spin — that’s Trump questioning whether elections should take place at all.
Leavitt was asked about this air-raid siren of a quote in a Thursday press briefing. Instead of clarifying or distancing the administration from the idea, she dug in and insisted — repeatedly — that Trump was just “joking”.
When The Independent reporter Andrew Feinberg pressed her on whether Trump found the idea of canceling elections funny — invoking the literal fact that humans have died defending democracy — Leavitt snapped back: “Andrew, were you in the room? No, you weren’t. I was in the room.” She doubled down that only someone “like you would take that so seriously.”
That line didn’t just sound petulant — it sounded like a spokesperson trying to protect a boss who clearly crossed a line into anti-democratic territory. It wasn’t a one-off slip; Trump made similar remarks earlier this month to House Republicans at the MAGA-ified Kennedy Center, where he said they should “cancel” the midterms because losing could lead to his impeachment.
Leavitt’s defensive performance also mirrors a trend where Trump officials pivot to saying incendiary comments are “facetious” or “jokes” — but then do nothing to walk them back or clarify. That tactic isn’t calming fears — it’s normalizing ridiculing democracy.
And this matters far beyond briefings and internet mockery. Trump’s comments came as his party faces low approval ratings, backlash over handling of the Epstein files, economic dissatisfaction, and now, a bruising conversation about whether elections are even worth holding. Suggesting midterms are optional because one man thinks he’s done too much is more than unhinged — it’s a naked expression of fear and entitlement from a president who appears to be checking for backup plans on democracy.
Leavitt’s explanation didn’t defuse the moment — it amplified it. Her job isn’t to gaslight the public; it’s to communicate the administration’s position. What she communicated instead is that when the president makes a potentially anti-democratic statement, his defenders will hide behind “he was joking” and attack anyone who dares take him at his word.
Watch the exchange below:
