Democrats call Trump’s comments ‘illegal,’ as White House clarifies.
By Catholics for Catholics
As the pivotal 2026 mid-term elections loom with a building crescendo and the stakes are reaching a fever pitch, President Donald Trump exhorted Republicans to “take over” and “nationalize” voting on Monday.
During an interview with former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, Trump made the comments. Under the Constitution, states set the rules for both federal and state elections, establishing “the times, places, and manner of holding elections for the House of Representatives and the Senate,” according to a story by Fox News.
“The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over,’’’ Trump told Bongino. “We should take over the voting … in at least many, 15 places. The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting. We have states that are so crooked and they’re counting votes.”
But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was all over Trump’s idea during remarks on the floor of the Senate.
“Just a few hours ago, Donald Trump said he wants to nationalize elections around the country. That’s what Trump said. You think he believes in democracy? He said, ‘We want to take over, the Republicans ought to nationalize the voting,”’ Schumer said Monday. “Does Donald Trump need a copy of the Constitution? What he is saying is outlandishly illegal.”
Q: "What does President Trump mean when he says Republicans ought to 'nationalize voting'?"@PressSec: "What the president was referring to is the SAVE Act, which is a huge common sense piece of legislation that Republicans have supported…It provides common sense measures for… pic.twitter.com/iMhRYcZojk
— CSPAN (@cspan) February 3, 2026
Shedding light on Trump’s comments, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson later said in a statement to ABC News that the President was expressing his desire for the U.S. to have free and fair elections.
“President Trump cares deeply about the safety and security of our elections – that’s why he’s urged Congress to pass the SAVE Act and other legislative proposals that would establish a uniform standard of photo ID for voting, prohibit no-excuse mail-in voting, and end the practice of ballot harvesting,” Jackson said.
The President’s words come during a frantic clash for an advantage in the 2026 midterm elections. Last year, the GOP and Democrats warred over Congressional redistricting plans, with Texas redrawing maps to form five new GOP-favored seats and California countering with its own new maps.
Trump said, “If we lose the midterms, you’ll lose so many of the things that we’re talking about, so many of the assets that we’re talking about, so many of the tax cuts that we’re talking about, and it would lead to very bad things.”
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