Former EU Parliament president Martin Schulz expressed doubt that the U.S. mid‑term elections scheduled for November will actually take place under President Donald Trump. In an interview on the Spiegel “Spitzengespräch” program, he said, “I believe he wants an uprising. He wants confrontation so that he can later claim that, in such a situation, a normal election cannot be held”. Consequently, Schulz feels it is still uncertain that the mid‑terms will go ahead.
Schulz also accused Trump of an intentional escalation through the ICE agency. “This brutal approach by ICE and other forces, including the National Guard he deployed, has a purpose” he said. “Trump wants the other side to riot, to fight back, and then he can claim: ‘I didn’t send them because the radical left is provoking riots.'”
Previously, former Angela Merkel adviser Christoph Heusgen described the election year as a decisive test for the world’s oldest democracy. He warned that the year would be “critical” and that if the Democrats won the House, there could be avenues to halt the president, even up to impeachment proceedings.
Heusgen also suggested that Trump could declare a state of emergency to block the vote, potentially invoking the Insurrection Act to ultimately prevent the elections entirely.
Schulz echoed this assessment, agreeing that Trump deliberately seeks escalation to craft an argument against regular elections. He warned that such a strategy could have far‑reaching effects on the U.S. democratic order and on Europe, which must position itself against Trump’s America.