Trump won’t rule out declaring election emergency ahead of midterms

President Donald Trump declined to rule out declaring a national security emergency over the 2026 midterm elections during an interview on Real America's Voice. Host Wayne Allyn Root told Trump he had the "right" to declare such an emergency if the Senate fails to pass the SAVE Act, citing a 1983 Supreme Court ruling he said would make the move difficult to overturn without a two-thirds vote in Congress.

Asked about the possibility, Trump replied, "Let me just say, stranger things have happened. I'll leave it at that." The SAVE Act would require proof of citizenship for voter registration and photo identification for federal voting, along with new limits on mail-in ballots. The bill remains stalled in the Senate, where it lacks the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster.

The exchange follows a February proposal circulated among Trump allies that also contemplated invoking a national emergency over alleged foreign election interference to expand federal authority over voting, including voter ID requirements and hand-counting of ballots. Trump said at the time he was not considering that proposal. The Constitution designates states as administrators of elections, and any federal expansion of that authority would likely face legal challenges.

GOP strategists have pointed to declining approval numbers for Trump as a risk to Republican turnout in November, with Trump himself acknowledging that voters are "angry at Republicans" even as he maintains he is not a target of that anger.

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