President Donald Trump appears to be laying the groundwork for a risky strategy if Republicans lose the upcoming midterm elections. Polls show growing frustration over rising costs and declining confidence in Trump’s ability to improve the economy. Early voting trends, including in traditionally Republican states, also suggest that the political pendulum may be moving toward Democrats.

Trump has a history of making unfounded claims of election fraud when results do not go his way. Experts now warn that if Democrats regain control of the House, he could use unsubstantiated allegations of foreign election interference to cast doubt on the midterm results and undermine public confidence in the outcome.

Critics say Trump has already begun laying the foundation for such a response. They point to a July speech in which he suggested that China had stolen or manipulated votes, arguing that the remarks may preview what he would say if Republicans lose seats in the midterms. They fear he could use those allegations to justify federal intervention, including attempts to seize ballots or disrupt vote-counting.

“We start with the premise that the president is going to do that,” Rep. Jim Himes said in a conversation with reporters, according to The Atlantic, referring to Trump’s potential efforts to challenge the election results. “We have never seen an operation to actually interfere,” Himes added.

In his July address, Trump claimed that China had illegally obtained 220 million U.S. voter records, including information belonging to voters in 18 states, through hacking, theft or unauthorized purchases. He accused intelligence officials of concealing the alleged interference and claimed that China had attempted to produce fraudulent ballots for Joe Biden during the 2020 election.

Those allegations have proven unfounded. There is no evidence that China manipulated actual votes or influenced the outcome of the 2020 election.

Some critics say Trump’s messaging is not only damaging but dangerous. “The new threat in this election is the administration,” Lawrence Norden, vice president of the Elections and Government Program at the Brennan Center, said in an interview with The Atlantic. “It would be extremely hard for a foreign or outside actor to reach the actual vote. And we have a paper backup of almost every vote that is cast in the United States at this point.”

Experts worry that potential claims of foreign interference by the Trump administration could discredit legitimate election results and lead Americans to question the outcome. They also note that such a strategy would not benefit Trump, who has lost favor with many of his own supporters. Original source: Alternet.