Despite winning two presidential elections, Donald Trump is still obsessed with the one he lost.Using a prime-time address to the nation to repeat long-debunked claims about his 2020 election defeat is a desperate and unusual move.Usually these kinds of addresses are reserved for big moments of urgent national consequence, like war or emergencies. But for Trump, "It doesn't get bigger [than this] because without free and fair elections, you don't have a country".This from the same man who regularly praises dictators and authoritarian leaders such as Russian President Vladimir Putin, North Korean strongman Kim Jong Un and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.Struggling to find an off-ramp for an increasingly unpopular foreign war that is exacerbating economic problems at home, the US president is again returning to a favourite grievance — the 2020 election he lost to Joe Biden.Despite his own Justice Department, multiple lawsuits and a number of independent studies failing to find evidence of widespread voter fraud or meaningful manipulation, Trump has not let it go. And despite saying the purpose of the speech was "not to weaken confidence" in the system, critics believe he has done just that.Many analysts fear the president could be paving the way to raise doubts about election integrity ahead of the midterms in November or challenge their results if the Republicans lose control of Congress.Amherst College political science professor Austin Sarat describes the approach of using a national address — a forum to elevate the issue as one of urgent national significance — as "thermonuclear"."It's an ominous sign that the 2026 elections in the United States are not likely to go off in a smooth and easy way," he said.Trump's speech was delivered to a nation in which 28 per cent of voters already believe the 2020 election was "rigged", according to a recent YouGov poll.Like many things in this country, that result is sharply divided along party lines, with 50 per cent of Republicans and only 9 per cent of Democrats agreeing.Two thirds of Republicans who identify as MAGA supporters already believed the vote-rigging claim before tonight's address.The common denominator in Trump's 'rigged' electionsAfter spending much of the address railing against his enemies, the so-called "Deep State" and media outlets that chose not to take his address live for fear of providing a platform for misinformation, Trump called for unity."Every American, whether you're a Republican, Democrat, independent or otherwise, should be able to agree that we deserve the most secure, honest and fair election system anywhere in the world," he said.But many voters would notice the coincidence that the only elections Trump sees as "free and fair" are the ones he's won while those he's lost are "rigged" or "stolen".Dr Sarat says the president has already been taking steps to undermine election integrity by highlighting rare cases of non-citizens voting and pushing for the SAVE America Act — a bill that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and provide voter ID at the polls.Critics say that would restrict the vote for millions.Dr Sarat says using a national address to raise questions about the democratic process will, "as they say in movies about nuclear war, take it to DEFCON 5".In Washington, some wonder if he might take his election denialism to the extreme. Could he meddle in — or even call off — the midterms in order to keep control of Congress?It may sound far-fetched, but Trump has previously hinted at his desire to cancel the upcoming midterm elections. His press secretary later said he was just joking. But now he has used a presidential speech to tell Americans they cannot trust the system.Other analysts, such as the Brennan Center for Justice's Sean Morales-Doyle, say subverting rather than cancelling elections is potentially worse."Vladimir Putin hasn't cancelled an election. Iran has regular elections," he said."In the 21st century, the name of the game is 'competitive authoritarianism' in which democratic institutions and elections persist, but are hollowed out by authoritarian incumbents."Elections — even if they're rigged — give rulers legitimacy."