Former President Donald Trump has claimed the 2024 Michigan U.S. Senate race was “rigged,” a statement made in an interview released Friday. Trump, who has for years falsely claimed the 2020 presidential election was stolen, made the assertion about the Michigan race after endorsing Republican candidate Mike Rogers.
During an interview with Punchbowl News co-founder Jake Sherman, Trump was asked about his endorsement of Rogers. "I happen to think he won," Trump said, then adding, "No, no, I think it was a rigged deal. I think they rigged him out of it. But he’s a very good candidate."
Rogers, a former U.S. representative, lost his 2024 Senate race to Democrat Elissa Slotkin by approximately 30,000 votes. He is now running against Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed in the upcoming 2026 Senate race. El-Sayed recently won the Democratic primary, defeating U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens.
Trump has also commented on El-Sayed's name, suggesting that calling him by a shortened version might be advantageous. "It’s ‘Abdul,’ but I call him — the actual name is ‘Abdullah,’ and then it’s much longer than that," Trump told Sherman. "But if you believe in the polls, [Rogers] does better against Abdullah than he did against the young congresswoman [Stevens]."
Trump has a history of questioning electoral processes. He has also suggested he might seek a third, unconstitutional term in the 2028 presidential election, framing it as a response to the allegedly “rigged” 2020 election.
Recent polling data indicates dissatisfaction among some voters, including those who have supported Trump. Fox News polling shows his approval rating at 39%. When asked about voter sentiment earlier this week, Trump attributed any anger to his party rather than himself, stating, “I mean, they’re angry at Republicans. But they’re not angry at me.”