Seven in 10 Americans lack confidence that US President Donald Trump would accept the results if Republicans lose the upcoming midterm elections, according to a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll.
The poll found that 70% of Americans were not confident Trump would accept a Republican defeat, while 60% believed the elections would be conducted fairly and 65% expressed confidence that votes would be counted accurately, says the Washington Post.
Doubts about Trump's response to an electoral defeat crossed party lines. Some 94% of Democrats, 77% of independents and 36% of Republicans said they were not confident he would accept the results if Republicans lost.
By comparison, 61% of Americans said they were confident Democratic Party leaders would accept an electoral defeat. That included 88% of Democrats, 58% of independents and 36% of Republicans.
Among Americans who were undecided or did not plan to vote, 37% said they trusted Democratic leaders to accept a loss, compared with 16% who trusted Trump to do so.
Despite the concerns about Trump's response, views on the fairness of the election process were broadly similar among Republicans and Democrats. Some 70% of Democrats and 67% of Republicans expressed confidence that the elections would be conducted fairly.
On the accuracy of vote counting, 76% of Democrats and 68% of Republicans said they were confident. Republican confidence in vote counting has risen from 49% before the 2024 election.
Trump questions election conditions
Trump has continued to make claims about election integrity and has called for changes to how elections are administered.
Asked by NBC News whether he would trust the results if Republicans lost control of Congress, Trump said: "I will if the elections are honest."
Court reviews and independent studies have found no evidence of widespread fraud, but Trump continues to make false claims about the 2020 election and has insisted without evidence that he won the popular vote in 2016.
Trump has also expressed a desire to "nationalize the voting" and "take over" elections. He told the New York Times that he regretted not having troops seize voting machines after his 2020 defeat.
Local election officials have said they are preparing for potential federal interventions, including the presence of federal agents at polling places or the seizure of ballots.
During Trump's administration, federal agencies responsible for election safeguards were weakened, and his administration attempted to restrict mail-in voting. The restrictions were blocked by the Supreme Court.
Voters express differing views
Interviews with poll respondents reflected differing views on Trump's willingness to accept an electoral defeat and the fairness of the voting process.
Jonnie Smith, a 69-year-old human resources manager from Tennessee and a Republican who opposes Trump, said: "He has to throw dirt on it if it doesn't come out his way, period. He's shown us that every time he loses."
Gary Podbielski, a 67-year-old retired information technology manager from Texas who plans to vote Democratic, said: "He'll fight it. He'll say something stupid."
Patty Nelson, a 58-year-old executive assistant from Arkansas who voted for Trump in 2024 but plans to sit out the midterm elections, expressed confidence in the voting system.
"I always do feel that the elections are fair. I feel like we have a [voting] system in America that works," she said.
Jennifer Fenderson, a 41-year-old nurse from Florida who is undecided, expressed doubts about whether votes influence election outcomes.
"They're never fair when it comes down to voting. We just vote, but I don't know if our vote really matters or not — or if they already have who they want selected."
Voters divided over control of House
The poll also found differing expectations about which party would control the House of Representatives after the midterm elections.
Some 35% of Americans expected Democrats to win control of the House, while 16% expected Republicans to retain control. Another 28% said the outcome was a toss-up, and 21% were unsure.