Some have called it “political suicide.” But could it be something else?

The House Republicans’ so-called “big beautiful bill” has stunned political observers — not because of its audacity, but because of its self-destructiveness. By some estimates, 14 million Americans could lose their health insurance under the proposed legislation. Many of them are Republican voters. And all of this in service of funding tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy.

So why would the GOP willingly inflict harm on its own base in the run-up to the 2026 midterm elections?

At first glance, it makes no sense. Midterm elections are historically brutal for the party in power — especially when they’ve passed wildly unpopular legislation. No rational party would alienate millions of supporters just before a major election.

Unless… they’re not planning to compete in a free and fair election at all.

That possibility recently came to mind after remembering a troubling remark Donald Trump made in the summer of 2024 at the Turning Point Action Believers’ Summit in Florida. Speaking to a crowd of supporters, he said:

“Get out and vote just this time. You won’t have to do it anymore. Four more years it will be fixed. It’ll be fine. You won’t have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians.”

Many dismissed it as a joke. But as Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) pointed out, “The only way ‘you won’t have to vote anymore’ is if Donald Trump becomes a dictator.”

And if we’ve learned anything from Trump’s time in office, it’s this: he often means the most extreme things he says — no matter how unlawful or absurd they sound.

So how might he try to make voting “a thing of the past”?

Simple: create chaos, then exploit it. If protests erupt over economic turmoil, unpopular laws, or international crises, Trump could declare a national emergency — and use it as a pretext to postpone or cancel the 2026 midterms. It would be unconstitutional, of course. But since when has the Constitution stopped him?

What about the Supreme Court, you ask? Historically, the Court has defended democratic norms. But with its current makeup, and given its recent decisions, it’s not clear how it would rule in a constitutional crisis triggered by a president it helped empower.

So, is the GOP truly engaging in political suicide? Or is it betting on a future in which elections are either permanently skewed in its favor — or eliminated altogether?

It’s a disturbing thought, but one that must be faced: the 2024 election may prove to be the last free and fair national vote the United States sees for some time.

Photo/vecteezy/Majharul Islam