Alarm bells sound over Trump’s ‘take over the voting’ call

 

Alarm bells sound over Trump’s ‘take over the voting’ call

In early February 2026, President Donald Trump sparked intense national concern by calling for Republicans to "take over the voting" and "nationalize the voting" in at least 15 places ahead of the November midterms.

The remarks, made during a podcast interview with former FBI official Dan Bongino, have been characterized by democracy experts and lawmakers as an alarming escalation of his rhetoric regarding election administration.

 

Core Claims and Proposals

Nationalization Call: Trump stated that the federal government should "get involved" in elections, arguing that states are merely "agents" of the federal government.

Specific Targets: He suggested Republicans should take control of voting in "at least many, 15 places" where he baselessly claimed "horrible corruption" exists.

Justification: He framed the need for a takeover as a way to prevent non-citizen voting—a claim experts state is unsubstantiated—and to address "crooked" states that he falsely asserts he won in 2020.

 

Alarming Context

FBI Raid in Georgia: These comments followed an unprecedented FBI raid on an election office in Fulton County, Georgia, where agents seized ballots and 2020 election materials.

Potential Use of ICE: Concerns have been raised by Democratic lawmakers, such as Senator Mark Warner, that the administration might deploy ICE agents or roving vans to polling locations to "intimidate" voters.

 

Official and Political Reactions

White House Clarification: Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt attempted to walk back the remarks, claiming Trump was referring to his support for the SAVE Act, a bill requiring proof of citizenship to vote. However, Trump doubled down on his comments shortly after, stating that if states "can't count the votes... someone else should take over".

 

Constitutional Pushback: Legal experts and state officials, including Maine's Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, emphasized that Article 1, Section 4 of the Constitution explicitly grants states the authority to run elections.

Republican Hesitation: While some GOP senators echoed his concerns about election integrity, others like Senate Majority Leader John Thune voiced constitutional concerns or shied away from the "take-over" rhetoric.