Donald Trump Makes Wild Election Claim as Stephen Miller Takes the Reins

Apparently, voting for someone else still counts as voting Republican.

US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media at President Donald J. Trump International Airport in Palm Beach, Florida, US, November 6, 2026. REUTERS/Eric Lee

Donald Trump is declaring victory in an election that hasn’t been decided—and using his own version of election math to do it.

In a remarkably bold Truth Social post Saturday afternoon, the president, 80, insisted that Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan was “leading substantially” in Alaska’s razor-thin Senate race—even though Democrat Mary Peltola is ahead in the vote count.

Trump’s reasoning? Votes cast for two other candidates should simply be added to Sullivan’s total.

“Daniel Sullivan is leading substantially in the Alaska Senatorial Race. When you add Daniel (3,600, 1.68%) into Dan, and Gerald Heikes (4,846, 2.27%), Senator Dan Sullivan is up by thousands of Votes,” Trump began.

Peltola leads with 48.17 percent of the vote, while (Trump’s preferred) Sullivan trails by fewer than 700 votes, with 47.88 percent.

Donald Trump's Truth Social post about the Alaskan Senate election.

Donald Trump’s Truth Social post about the Alaskan Senate election.

Truth Social/Donald Trump

Only 75 percent of ballots have been counted so far. Under Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system, if no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, the lowest-ranked candidates are eliminated and their votes redistributed according to voters’ next preferences.

Get the Best of the BeastSign Up for The Swamp Newsletter

Trump’s math ignores that crucial distinction. Votes don’t automatically transfer to whichever candidate the president believes should receive them, and some may not transfer to either major-party candidate at all.

The race may not be decided until Nov. 18, when Alaska is scheduled to conduct its ranked-choice vote tabulation.

That’s not soon enough for Trump, who has been laser-focused on alleged “voter fraud” in Alaska since before Election Day.

Republican Senator Dan Sullivan and Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola participate in a debate in Anchorage, Alaska, October 15, 2026.

Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola participate in a debate in Anchorage, Alaska.

Another Dan Sullivan ran in both the primary and general elections, and his candidacy appears to have served as a spoiler. His candidacy faced repeated legal challenges, but courts and election officials consistently ruled that he could remain on the ballot.

Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. is currently in fourth place with just 1.68 percent of the vote, well behind Dan S. Sullivan, who was identified on the ballot as the Republican incumbent.

Trump’s post came just 24 hours after the president announced Stephen Miller’s elevation to White House chief of staff. And Miller has already weighed in on the Alaska race, describing it as “one of the most egregious attacks we have seen on the integrity of American elections.”

Miller, who was questioned by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack about his role in encouraging the “Stop the Steal” movement, drafted part of the speech Trump delivered at the Ellipse before rioters stormed the Capitol.

Miller also argued on X last month that the Sullivan-versus-Sullivan debacle “reveals pure contempt for voters” and laid the blame on Democrats.

Stephen Miller's post about Alaska on X.

Stephen Miller’s post about Alaska on X.

Four days after Miller’s post, The New York Times reported allegations that Peltola’s campaign may have coordinated with Daniel J. Sullivan to get him on the ballot.

Peltola’s campaign has denied the allegation.

Trump’s Saturday post also claimed that the independent candidate, Heikes, was fraudulent, without providing evidence, and declared the race “OVER.”

President Donald Trump announced he was promoting Stephen Miller to White House chief of staff in a Truth Social post on Friday afternoon.

“I don’t know what takes so long to announce his win. This should be immediate! Anyone voting for Daniel J. Sullivan, Jr., a man who tried to change his middle initial, but was unable to get it done in time, and who was otherwise nonpolitical – Never even voted – is a vote for Senator Dan Sullivan. The Alaska Race is OVER. Dan Sullivan WON, BY A LOT!”

It wasn’t Trump’s first such demand this week as he licks his wounds following decisive Democratic victories in the midterms.

On Thursday, he threw a similar tantrum on Truth Social, claiming that reallocating the independent candidate’s votes to Sen. Sullivan was the only solution.

“There is no other fair solution!” he opined.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Unlock a year of full access to The Daily Beast for $35.

What’s IncludedUnlimited access (web + app)Exclusive ad-free newslettersCommenting accessDaily crosswordSneak peek of launches & events

Auto-renews at $5.99 monthly. Cancel anytime

What’s IncludedDiscounted annual rate – Save 47%Unlimited access (web + app)Exclusive ad-free newslettersCommenting accessDaily crosswordSneak peek of launches & events

Auto-renews at $59.99 yearly. Cancel anytime

Best Value

What’s IncludedDiscounted annual rateFull access to the Daily Beast Substack ($60 value)*Premium ad-free readingUnlimited access (web + app)Exclusive ad-free newslettersCommenting accessDaily crosswordSneak peek of launches & events

Auto-renews at $119.99 yearly. Cancel anytime

*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.

Looks like you already have a subscription!

Account (completed)Payment (completed)Confirmation (completed)You’re all set!

Thanks for subscribing.

1Account2Payment3ConfirmationContinue with GoogleContinue with FacebookLoading subscription options Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.

SubscribeRegister