Martial Law Frenzy: Media Hysteria Targets Trump as Elections Loom

Paul Riverbank, 1/14/2026Media stirs martial law fears around Trump; fact, speculation, and election anxiety collide.

The show’s panel, rarely shy with their opinions, seemed to double down. Sunny Hostin sounded the alarm about the possibility—however remote—of canceled elections. Viewers at home, especially those wary of Trump’s unpredictability, latched onto the ominous warning.

Yet, when you step back and measure the claims against recent history, the threat seems to shrink. Trump, when last in office, never tried to halt a midterm. And despite the fiery rhetoric, there’s no tangible evidence that erasing elections is in the cards. Still, the specter lingers. Why does such a scenario mushroom into popular discourse? Partly, some suggest, it’s about galvanizing voters—pushing turnout with a whiff of danger. As Behar put it, “He even said if the Democrats take Congress next time, I will be impeached. Which means he can be convicted and sent to jail. He does not want that to happen.” The logic—however speculative—has sticking power in polarized times.

Dig a little deeper, past the cable news ticker and trending hashtags, and a more nuanced scene emerges. Michael Wolff, whose reporting inside Trump’s White House stirred as much controversy as clarity, recently sketched out the former president’s current psyche. Speaking on a podcast, Wolff painted a picture of a man who senses momentum slipping away—nervously eyeing the possibility of losing the House, maybe even the Senate. “Then I’m back in court, [and it] won’t be pretty,” Trump reportedly admits. In Wolff’s estimation, Trump is searching, almost desperately, for a headline-grabbing move to drag attention away from unflattering poll numbers and stubborn economic stories.

Wolff didn’t mince words when listing some of Trump’s more outlandish distractions—ranging from fantasy-laden talk of dealing with Venezuela’s leadership to the now-infamous “let’s buy Greenland” episode. That proposal, greeted at first as a throwaway line, later prompted advisers like Susie Wiles to quite literally shrug off reporters’ questions with a knowing eye-roll.

Meanwhile, real political tremors have come from less-explosive but more consequential decisions. One scarcely believable episode: the Justice Department, under Trump’s command, moved to press charges against Fed Chair Jerome Powell. The reaction from business circles was swift—especially on Wall Street, where market watchers saw the move as a direct challenge to the central bank’s independence. Editorials in major outlets, like The Wall Street Journal, labeled it a “self-defeating fiasco,” urging the president to show some discipline and, bluntly, to clean house.

Despite all this, rank-and-file Republicans have mostly stuck to their script—promoting economic growth, individual rights, and “strengthening the nation” as the core message. Any suggestion that their standard bearer is plotting martial law is written off as wild speculation, the product of a fevered opposition rather than any serious plan.

Yet the volume dial is stuck on “loud.” With every op-ed and every broadcast, speculation echoes, heightening the sense of uncertainty. The coming weeks—especially as campaign season hits full stride—will be a test of how much all this noise influences turnout or shapes real-world policies. The only certainty is that, in America’s whiplash political climate, every fear, every theory, will be scrutinized, shared, and dissected a dozen times over by the time voters cast their ballots.

“Watch out for this guy.” Those five words from Joy Behar, tossed out during a conversation on “The View,” did what such statements often do—they sparked a digital wildfire. Her fear? That former President Trump might go so far as to declare martial law, scrapping the midterms altogether if chaos erupts. Within moments, the idea rippled through social media, picking up steam in echo chambers already primed for anxiety.The show’s panel, rarely shy with their opinions, seemed to double down. Sunny Hostin sounded the alarm about the possibility—however remote—of canceled elections. Viewers at home, especially those wary of Trump’s unpredictability, latched onto the ominous warning.Yet, when you step back and measure the claims against recent history, the threat seems to shrink. Trump, when last in office, never tried to halt a midterm. And despite the fiery rhetoric, there’s no tangible evidence that erasing elections is in the cards. Still, the specter lingers. Why does such a scenario mushroom into popular discourse? Partly, some suggest, it’s about galvanizing voters—pushing turnout with a whiff of danger. As Behar put it, “He even said if the Democrats take Congress next time, I will be impeached. Which means he can be convicted and sent to jail. He does not want that to happen.” The logic—however speculative—has sticking power in polarized times.Dig a little deeper, past the cable news ticker and trending hashtags, and a more nuanced scene emerges. Michael Wolff, whose reporting inside Trump’s White House stirred as much controversy as clarity, recently sketched out the former president’s current psyche. Speaking on a podcast, Wolff painted a picture of a man who senses momentum slipping away—nervously eyeing the possibility of losing the House, maybe even the Senate. “Then I’m back in court, [and it] won’t be pretty,” Trump reportedly admits. In Wolff’s estimation, Trump is searching, almost desperately, for a headline-grabbing move to drag attention away from unflattering poll numbers and stubborn economic stories.Wolff didn’t mince words when listing some of Trump’s more outlandish distractions—ranging from fantasy-laden talk of dealing with Venezuela’s leadership to the now-infamous “let’s buy Greenland” episode. That proposal, greeted at first as a throwaway line, later prompted advisers like Susie Wiles to quite literally shrug off reporters’ questions with a knowing eye-roll.Meanwhile, real political tremors have come from less-explosive but more consequential decisions. One scarcely believable episode: the Justice Department, under Trump’s command, moved to press charges against Fed Chair Jerome Powell. The reaction from business circles was swift—especially on Wall Street, where market watchers saw the move as a direct challenge to the central bank’s independence. Editorials in major outlets, like The Wall Street Journal, labeled it a “self-defeating fiasco,” urging the president to show some discipline and, bluntly, to clean house.Despite all this, rank-and-file Republicans have mostly stuck to their script—promoting economic growth, individual rights, and “strengthening the nation” as the core message. Any suggestion that their standard bearer is plotting martial law is written off as wild speculation, the product of a fevered opposition rather than any serious plan.Yet the volume dial is stuck on “loud.” With every op-ed and every broadcast, speculation echoes, heightening the sense of uncertainty. The coming weeks—especially as campaign season hits full stride—will be a test of how much all this noise influences turnout or shapes real-world policies. The only certainty is that, in America’s whiplash political climate, every fear, every theory, will be scrutinized, shared, and dissected a dozen times over by the time voters cast their ballots.