President Trump’s call to nationalize elections draws constitutional pushback, White House clarifies
President Trump suggested Republicans should take control of elections, prompting clarification from the White House and mixed reactions from lawmakers
President Donald Trump suggested that Republicans should “take over” elections during an interview on “The Dan Bongino Show,” prompting clarification from the White House and mixed reactions from officials.Bongino resigned as FBI deputy director in January of this year.Trump claimed without evidence that the 2020 election results were incorrect, proposing that illegal immigrants be removed from the election process. It is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections.”The Republicans should say, we want to take over, we should take over the voting, the voting in at least many — 15 places,” Trump said. “The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting.”The White House later said the president was talking about voter ID legislation instead. “What the president was referring to is the SAVE Act,” said press secretary Karoline Leavitt.The Constitution grants states the authority to decide the “times, places and manner of holding elections,” leading to backlash from local election officials. Sarah Copeland Hanzas, Vermont secretary of state, said, “I think what happens is when the president speaks like this, it sets out ripples of uncertainty and mistrust in elections across the country.”On Capitol Hill, reactions have been mixed. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said, “The president is shouting the quiet part out loud. He wants totalitarian tactics to take over elections.” Meanwhile, GOP leadership in both chambers echoed the press secretary, supporting voter ID but opposing federalizing elections. “The president is expressing his frustration about the problems we have in some of these blue states where election integrity is not always guaranteed,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.Trump’s comments come shortly after the FBI seized records from an elections office in Fulton County, Georgia, as part of an investigation into the 2020 vote count.Trump has long pointed to Georgia as evidence of wrongdoing, despite repeated findings that his 2020 loss there was legitimate. “You’re going to see something in Georgia where they were able to get with a court order. The ballots. You’re going to see some interesting things come out,” Trump said on Bongino’s podcast.Currently, there is no legislation in Congress that would allow the federal government to take over elections. The SAVE Act, referenced by the press secretary, is a Republican-backed bill that would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. Supporters argue it aims to prevent non-citizens from voting, though election officials say such occurrences are already rare. Opponents warn it could disenfranchise voters lacking proper documentation.
President Donald Trump suggested that Republicans should “take over” elections during an interview on “The Dan Bongino Show,” prompting clarification from the White House and mixed reactions from officials.
Bongino resigned as FBI deputy director in January of this year.
Trump claimed without evidence that the 2020 election results were incorrect, proposing that illegal immigrants be removed from the election process. It is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections.
“The Republicans should say, we want to take over, we should take over the voting, the voting in at least many — 15 places,” Trump said. “The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting.”
The White House later said the president was talking about voter ID legislation instead. “What the president was referring to is the SAVE Act,” said press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
The Constitution grants states the authority to decide the “times, places and manner of holding elections,” leading to backlash from local election officials.
Sarah Copeland Hanzas, Vermont secretary of state, said, “I think what happens is when the president speaks like this, it sets out ripples of uncertainty and mistrust in elections across the country.”
On Capitol Hill, reactions have been mixed. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said, “The president is shouting the quiet part out loud. He wants totalitarian tactics to take over elections.”
Meanwhile, GOP leadership in both chambers echoed the press secretary, supporting voter ID but opposing federalizing elections. “The president is expressing his frustration about the problems we have in some of these blue states where election integrity is not always guaranteed,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.
Trump’s comments come shortly after the FBI seized records from an elections office in Fulton County, Georgia, as part of an investigation into the 2020 vote count.
Trump has long pointed to Georgia as evidence of wrongdoing, despite repeated findings that his 2020 loss there was legitimate.
“You’re going to see something in Georgia where they were able to get with a court order. The ballots. You’re going to see some interesting things come out,” Trump said on Bongino’s podcast.
Currently, there is no legislation in Congress that would allow the federal government to take over elections.
The SAVE Act, referenced by the press secretary, is a Republican-backed bill that would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. Supporters argue it aims to prevent non-citizens from voting, though election officials say such occurrences are already rare. Opponents warn it could disenfranchise voters lacking proper documentation.
