Trump again calls for federal intervention in elections amid criticism

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: USA Today

Updated Feb. 3, 2026, 7:16 p.m. ET


President Donald Trump called for the federal government to "get involved" in overseeing elections as his talk of nationalizing the voting process generates bipartisan pushback and alarms critics worried about the fairness of future contests.

Asked during a Feb. 3 White House event attended by GOP lawmakers what he meant by comments he made on a podcast with Dan Bongino about nationalizing voting, Trump said: "I want to see elections be honest, and if a state can't run an election, I think the people behind me should do something about it."

The president repeated his unfounded claims that the 2020 election was "rigged" and pointed to places where he alleged "horrible corruption on elections," saying "the federal government should not allow that. The federal government should get involved. These are agents of the federal government to count the votes."

States have the authority under the Constitution over "the times, places, and manner" of federal elections. State and local authorities administer voting, though the Constitution gives Congress the power to "make or alter" election rules.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/02/03/donald-trump-elections-nationalize-voting-thune-schumer/88497102007/

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REFERENCE - https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143610313

[truddy777]

1. That's crazy

Calling for “nationalized elections” feeds into mistrust, but it clashes directly with the constitutional structure of federalism.

[Trueblue1968]

31. His remark is not only crazy, it is unconstitutional. Fraud !! Cheating !! Banana Republic stealing the election.

[Lovie777]

2. Nope...........

[IcyPeas]

3. Remember when ivanka got trademarks from China for voting machines

.... The trademarks also cover items including nursing homes, sausage casing, and voting machines.

https://www.citizensforethics.org/reports-investigations/crew-investigations/ivanka-trump-trademarks/

[bucolic_frolic]

4. Wait. I've seen this on TV.

He wants to Stop the Clock when his team is ahead.

[JohnnyRingo]

5. Places where there is "corruption on elections" places he lost.

We all want transparency in government, but this ploy is plain as day.
"You have the right to vote, and we have the right to do the counting"

[Harker]

13. Yes, I can't wait to see his "fifteen places" list.

I'd bet there are many DUers who could predict them with great accuracy.

[JohnnyRingo]

32. Maybe we could start a pool.

Or a Bingo Card. I'd put NYC in the Free Square.

[Harker]

34. I'm going with Milwaukee as my flier pick.

[YodaMom2]

17. Just like Joseph Stalin -

“It’s not who votes that counts, it’s who counts the votes”

[OldBaldy1701E]

6. I like that he still wants us to think that there will be 'elections'. (n/t)

[Botany]

7. Article 1, Section 4, Clause 1: U.S. Constitution

Article I, Section 4, Clause 1: Constitution

The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of chusing Senators.

[BumRushDaShow]

9. And nothing of the sort is mentioned in Article II (Executive Branch) at all!

[turbinetree]

21. This................end of story...........

[Escape]

8. Watch the idiot media...

try to turn this into a serious discussion.

Should we allow Donald Trump to appoint a group of people to decide election outcomes?

Seriously, this will now be presented on news programs as a legitimate question.

[BumRushDaShow]

10. "Seriously, this will now be presented on news programs as a legitimate question."

They are ALREADY doing crap like that in the news media, i.e., stuff like -

"The President wants to round up all the U.S. citizens that he doesn't like so he can deport them. Can he do that?"

as if it is some kind of legitimate thing they want to "teach" people about.

They ALL do shit like that with their "follow the leader" identical lazy-ass ChatGPT-generated headlines.

Thankfully they reduced the use of the parroted "Can he do that? It's complicated" nonsense.

[Baitball Blogger]

11. A reporter needs to ask him if he would support investigating the precincts

that he won in the last election where there were far more votes than people.

[Botany]

12. Yup! In multiple counties in PA there were precincts with more votes than registered voters.

Funny how Musk’s Ballotpedia Doge Boys were able to work on voter d-base files in all the swing states
states and then Peter Thiel’s Palantir ran “digital janitor” program that did not flip or delete votes but
hid some of the evidence that is exactly what happened. In Hillary’s 2016 run, in Ohio’s Senate races in
2022 & 2024, and in Kamala’s 2024 race there was all kinds of “under votes” where people showed up
and voted but skipped voting for President and or Senate in Ohio.

https://thiswillhold.substack.com/p/how-did-43598-of-voters-cast-ballots

[tonekat]

14. Rich coming from a guy who whined to steal votes

...in Georgia! He's such a loser, not a leader.

[bronxiteforever]

15. No Kings, no dictators! Nt

[BattleRow]

16. The elephant in the living room just keeps getting bigger and bigger...

That's tons of real waste left behind that DOGE didn't clean up.

Make that a herd of elephants..DOGE was cleaning out,not cleaning up.

[Initech]

18. Not just no, fucking HELL no.

We need to get this power abusing psychopath out of the White House *NOW*!

[LetMyPeopleVote]

19. MaddowBlog-'Republicans ought to nationalize the voting': Trump eyes radical power-grab

Those concerned about democracy don’t have the luxury of simply shrugging with indifference to the president’s latest conspiratorial nonsense.

Four weeks ago: Trump floated the idea of canceling future elections
Three weeks ago: “When you think of it, we shouldn’t even have an election”
Yesterday: “The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting”

But it’s not just rhetoric: all of this has come against a backdrop of concrete action.

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2026-02-03T14:05:32.050Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/republicans-ought-to-nationalize-the-voting-trump-eyes-radical-power-grab

Partway through the interview, Bongino briefly referred to crime rates, to which Trump responded with a meandering rant across a variety of unrelated subjects, including his bizarre beliefs about election administration.

Trump: "These people were brought to our country to vote, & they vote illegally. The Republicans should say, we should take over the voting in at least 15 places. The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting. We have states that I won that show I didn't win. You're gonna see something in Georgia"

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2026-02-02T18:03:24.971Z

In the course of an unsettling tirade about his “landslide” victory in 2024 (which clearly wasn’t a landslide) and his belief that undocumented immigrants were brought into the U.S. specifically to vote against Republicans (undocumented immigrants cannot and do not vote), Trump elaborated on his vision for the nation’s electoral system.

“You know, it’s amazing that the Republicans aren’t tougher on it,” the president told Bongino. “The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over.’ We should take over the voting, the voting in at least many, 15 places. The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting.”.....

Trump has long made clear that he rejects the idea that Americans settle their differences at the ballot box, and in recent weeks he’s offered fresh evidence of his antipathy toward democracy. On the anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attacks, for example, Trump briefly floated the idea of canceling future U.S. elections. A few weeks ago, he told Reuters that he’s so impressed with himself and his record that “when you think of it, we shouldn’t even have an election.”

While Trump doesn’t have a credible plan to take over the nation’s system of elections, his increasingly frequent and radical declarations have been unsubtle. They’ve also begun to result in concrete action: It was just last week when FBI agents raided an elections office in Fulton County, Georgia, seizing ballots and voting records as part of the president’s conspiracy theory, which included Trump personally thanking the agents for their efforts.

This coincided with Trump’s Justice Department pursuing an aggressive campaign to acquire voter rolls from states where Democrats won in 2024.

Those concerned about democracy, voting rights and the integrity of election results don’t have the luxury of simply shrugging with indifference at the president’s latest nonsense. It’s part of a broader pattern of behavior that extends well beyond ridiculous whining.

[timms139]

29. Trump is trash and

should have been impeached 6 months ago .

[turbinetree]

20. Because the $%#&*( is afraid of the future prison jumpsuit...........

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

22. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle condemned Trump's call to nationalize U.S. elections

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle condemned President Trump’s call to nationalize U.S. elections as a dangerous stepping stone after he said Republicans should “take over” their administration.

Trump’s comments came on the heels of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s presence during the execution of a search warrant in which the FBI seized ballots in Fulton County, Ga., that were cast during the 2020 election.

Democrats have expressed alarm over the idea, while GOP allies have dismissed Trump’s call for grabbing a power reserved to the states.

-snip-

Trump made the remarks during an interview Monday with former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, who left the bureau early last month to return to his podcast.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-call-nationalizing-elections-sparks-110000977.html

This is going nowhere Donny boy.

[creon]

36. It is going no where.

The election cannot be cancelled.
No state will cooperate,
.

[twodogsbarking]

23. CBS News a few nights ago said that Trump lies about the 2020 elections.

Why hasn't he sued them? Old fuck is slipping.

[LudwigPastorius]

24. He's talking about the biggest power grab in our history.

Game over for democracy if this is implemented.

[Justice matters.]

25. The "Russiafication" of the "Shining Light On The Hill"

To benefit himself and his oligarchs. America.

[Blue Owl]

26. Put the big fat man-baby in the corner -- PERMANENTLY

[OC375]

27. Unsafe Work Environment

Any number of reasons to get that toe in the door, and then do whatever, and argue about it later.

[Miami Blue]

28. The Gest Pedo Traitor in Chief

Is an infamous kook and a fokin L.O.C.O.
Get him out of power ASAP!

[Warpy]

30. Good luck with that one, Fatso

You want your stinking party to control elections nation wide, you're going to need a constitutional amendment ratified by 3/4 of the states and I don't see that one happening. You'll try to bluff, bluster and bully your way to doing it by fiat and I don't see that one gaining traction, either. It might, however, be the overreach that gets you out on your fat butt at last.

[blue blues]

33. What happened to smaller government

Also state rights The R's loved state rights when controlling women.

[creon]

35. The states run elections.

The Federal Govt cannot "cancel" an election.

A stste cannot cancel.
If it did so, that office will become vacant if no one is elected.
That includes the Federral branch.

This is an old fool bloviating.

[Blasphemer]

37. If the federal govt is to control elections, then federal elections should be decided by the popular vote. nt

[duckworth969]

38. Emergency Order

Create enough “irregularities”, claim foreign interference, declare a national emergency, then the Feds seize ballot boxes.

They count the votes themselves. We lose senate seats.