Ty Cobb on midterms: Trump intends ‘to steal these elections where possible’

Former Trump White House lawyer Ty Cobb said Thursday that President Trump would attempt to “steal” the 2026 midterm elections “where possible.”

Cobb, in an appearance on MS NOW, discussed reports of GOP lawmakers declining to attend a Republican National Committee event, underlining concerns about Trump’s political brand almost two years into his second term.

A source familiar told The Hill that the National Republican Congressional Committee distributed more than 2,000 tickets for the convention and that around 100 members and candidates were confirmed to attend. Lawmakers are expected to contribute a minimum of $25,000 to take part.

“Well, I think the Republicans who are saying no are being strategic,” Cobb said. “But at the same time, he’s [Trump] sitting on $400 million in campaign money that he could donate to some of these elections. And he’s not.”

Cobb added that, “It also plays into a narrative that I think people are undervaluing, which is I think Trump doesn’t feel he needs to spend this money because it is his intention to interfere with the elections and to steal these elections where possible.”

He raised the possibility that Trump could “urge” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to refuse to swear in Democratic candidates following the midterm elections. Johnson was an active backer of Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to former President Biden.

The Trump administration is still pushing to restrict mail-in voting for the midterms, even as states start sending out early ballots. The Justice Department asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to allow for the U.S. Postal Service’s implementation of Trump’s executive order targeting mail voting.

The Postal Service’s plan would mandate that states’ mail-in ballots meet design requirements — such as unique barcodes and an official logo — and require election officials to upload lists of voters who are eligible to vote by mail. If a ballot doesn’t meet the specifications or someone is not on the submitted list, the service would refuse to deliver it.

In a July appearance on MS NOW, Cobb argued that moves from Trump like this are rooted in his refusal to accept his 2020 defeat.

“The most grievous thing that ever happened to him was he lost an election,” he said at the time. “As a malignant narcissist, he just can’t abide that.”