Post #3890976

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-17/donald-trump-national-address-ominous-sign-for-midterm-elections/106928662 "Donald Trump's failure to let go of 2020 an 'ominous sign' ahead of upcoming midterm elections" 'By North America correspondent Lauren Day in Washington DC' '... Using a prime-time address to the nation to repeat long-debunked claims about his 2020 election defeat is a desperate and unusual move. 'Usually these kinds of addresses are reserved for big moments of urgent national consequence, like war or emergencies. But for Trump, "It doesn't get bigger [than this] because without free and fair elections, you don't have a country". 'This from the same man who regularly praises dictators and authoritarian leaders such as Russian President Vladimir Putin, North Korean strongman Kim Jong Un and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. 'Many analysts fear the president could be paving the way to raise doubts about election integrity ahead of the midterms in November or challenge their results if the Republicans lose control of Congress. 'Amherst College political science professor Austin Sarat describes the approach of using a national address — a forum to elevate the issue as one of urgent national significance — as "thermonuclear". '"It's an ominous sign that the 2026 elections in the United States are not likely to go off in a smooth and easy way," he said. 'Trump's speech was delivered to a nation in which 28 per cent of voters already believe the 2020 election was "rigged", according to a recent YouGov poll. 'Like many things in this country, that result is sharply divided along party lines, with 50 per cent of Republicans and only 9 per cent of Democrats agreeing. 'Two thirds of Republicans who identify as MAGA supporters already believed the vote-rigging claim before tonight's address.'