DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Palus Politicus Trump declines to rule out declaring a national security emergency to control the 2026 election

President Donald Trump in a new interview declined to rule out declaring a national security emergency as a means to try to assert more control over the 2026 midterm elections.

It’s merely the latest warning sign that Trump could try to mess with the election not just by baselessly claiming voter fraud and challenging the results afterward — as he did in 2020, leading to a violent riot at the US Capitol — but by trying to unilaterally take control before votes are cast.

In the interview, Wayne Allyn Root of Real America’s Voice pitched such a scenario to Trump. He suggested it as an alternative, given the Senate has failed to pass Trump’s coveted elections bill, known as the “SAVE America Act.”

“If they never get the SAVE America Act done, you have the right to declare a national security emergency for elections,” Root said. He added that “if you declare a national security emergency as the president of the United States, they can’t challenge it. It can only be overturned by a two-thirds vote by both houses of Congress. So if you do this in the next month, we will get photo ID, proof of citizenship (for voter registration) and a limit to mail-in ballots.”

It’s at this point that Trump cut Root off and coyly suggested such an option was indeed in play.

“Let me just say that stranger things have happened, OK?” Trump said. “I’ll leave it at that.”

Despite Root’s comments, it’s far from clear such a gambit would even work. And CNN has asked the White House for more detail on what the president meant.

Trump often responds to hypotheticals by declining to rule them out — no matter how extreme the proposal might be. So it’s possible to read too much into this.

But as CNN’s Jake Tapper has noted, there are plenty of signals that Trump at least aspires to try to exert more control over elections. And these methods often appear transparently geared toward helping Republicans.

A major one is the administration’s threat to have the US Postal Service not deliver mail ballots for states that don’t comply with its demand that they hand over their voter lists. This is a request that even many red states have rejected, citing privacy concerns.

Democrats are much more likely to use mail ballots, which Trump has baselessly connected to widespread fraud. So curtailing them could greatly help Republicans.

(Federal courts have blocked this Trump executive order, and the administration recently appealed to the Supreme Court.)

Trump has also gone to great lengths to try to substantiate his still-baseless claims of widespread fraud. That includes the administration seizing 2020 ballots in Fulton County, Georgia, and Trump’s recent primetime address about election security that some read as a statement of intent — a pretext for more direct federal involvement in elections, which are run by states.

Ty Cobb, who served as White House counsel in Trump’s first term, said he interpreted the speech last month as a “predicate that he needs to declare an emergency.”

And Trump has occasionally said things, like he did in the new interview, suggesting he would like to take control of US elections.

Back in February, he urged his party to “take over the voting in at least 15 places,” adding: “The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting.”

The Washington Post also reported in March that pro-Trump activists were circulating a potential executive order that claimed Chinese interference in the 2020 election gave Trump emergency authorities over the 2026 election. And Trump’s primetime address focused on China, despite the tenuous evidence.

Trump’s intense focus on the “SAVE America Act,” which has never appeared to have a chance to pass but Trump has said is vital, could also be read as part of building the case for more drastic action.

But whether Trump could take over elections himself, as Root posits, is far from certain.

As CNN’s Marshall Cohen and Michael Williams reported in February, the Constitution makes it difficult for Trump to truly “nationalize” elections. Courts have overwhelmingly upheld the principle that states are in charge of elections.

Presidents generally have more authority to act unilaterally when national security is involved — hence the significance of invoking China — but some experts are skeptical that Trump’s effort would pass legal muster.

https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/11/politics/trump-national-emergency-election

It has been the plan all along. He will do it.

They got to get back in control of our elections. Set the rules and play by those rules. Get rid of all of the non-sense added to elections that make it much easier to cheat. Here is where you vote, here is what time you vote, show me your ID and match it up to the register if all matches then vote. If not get out!!!

That's not the law. There has been zero mass election fraud. I'm sure you wish all elections were ran your way, by your rules so that "They got to get back in control of our elections."

Because we know who you mean by "They".

I see you once again dodged the actual topic of trump using presidential powers to control the election. No surprise there.

So you want trump to declare a national security emergency so he can rig the election, That has never been rigged. Got it. Democracy be damned!

Say what you want we all know that the Democrats have been using mail in ballots, early voting, motor voting as legal ways to cheat for years. It is not right by any stretch of the imagination.

The elections are not out of control. You have parroted this because you have bought into the lies that Trump and his right wing media circus (aided by Russia) has spun ... and in believing this you choose to promote the unconstitutional idea of the POTUS and the Federal Govt somehow controlling and influencing State elections. You're being controlled by a fear that's being instilled in you for something that isn't real.

Instead of simply spewing out what they tell you to think - why not take some time to realize there is no mass voter fraud. That's been proven endlessly. And then examine what the "solution" Trump is proposing actually means in practice .... and then put two and two together [1] there is no need for a cure [2] the proposed "cure" undermines States Rights for a problem that does not exist.

Your kind lost over 60 court cases trying to prove the BS you just posted. They lost because there is no evidence to support your "feelings".

On January 2, 2021, during an hour-long conference call, U.S. president Donald Trump pressured Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger to "find 11,780 votes"

There is actually an audio recording of trump saying this and even going as far as telling Raffesburger what he was doing may be illegal just to pressure him.

If you want to see what trying to rig an election looks like, look no further than that. And BTW- trump isn't a democrat.

For a complete list of all of the false claims being made by both you and trump made, here is a complete breakdown debunking them all. But at this point I highly doubt you're interested in learning anything..................

Fact Check: Trump’s Georgia Call to Raffensperger

The former president made a slew of false claims in asking the Georgia secretary of state to overturn the 2020 election results.

https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/fact-check-trumps-georgia-call-raffensperger

These are legal ways for legal citizens to cast their legal votes. never heard motor voting. There is no cheating trump just tells you there is so he can have his lackies storm the capital and try to steal fare election. I have no idea why anyone would believe all his BS

And if you talk while doing that, you'll sound exactly like Joe Biden.

At least attempt to stay on topic. The choice is between Biden's babbling and trump's lies. I have no idea why you think anything has improved.

#BDS

people not wanting to show a state id to vote but want to require background checks on gun purchases are loony.

Never ending with this guy. War, reflection pool, fraud, corruption, Kennedy Center, Greenland, Nobel prize, ballroom.

A national embarrassment. Alienating allies. Promoting dictators. Never ending lies. A convicted felon. Federal jury verdict finding Trump liable for sexually abusing E Jean Carroll. A tape recording saying "grab them by the [censored], you can do anything." "Find me the votes to win Georgia," on tape. Jan 6th.

The weak lying hypocrites of the senate should have impeached this bag of pus.

Well he is a billionaire so you should cut him some slack

So are people who want to require ID to vote but not require background checks to purchase a gun also loony?

I think more and more shows rigged elections and elections have been rigged for many years, but that is another issue. As to this, I doubt it happens, but as a general statement I don't see how you could just rule it out, at least at this point.

I wouldn't worry about it.

There is ZERO fact based observation of your statement. You may as well be claiming that you believe in Big Foot. There's more viability that the 9/11 attack was an inside job (which is also not true) base on some of the freakish issues that took place than there is of what you just casually opined.

Actually that's the entire issue. If not for those unsubstantiated claims none of this would be happening. You claim in one breath "more shows rigged elections and elections have been rigged for many years" then in the next breath say "I doubt it happens".

Then please show your evidence of "more shows rigged elections and elections have been rigged for many years". What you will find is the old trump standard line. "People are saying, people have told me, many people are saying".

Here's what people have done. They have asked for proof that any mass voting fraud has occurred. Accusations have been made from voting machines being rigged to those two women in Atlanta dumping fake ballots and a host of random accusations. Both resulted in lawsuits that ended with these parties receiving damages for defamation because they were lies. All of them have been debunked. When did one side of an argument repeatedly telling you lies start adding context and validity to cheating? I gave a link above showing just that. Why would anyone try to look at this and think backwards? When did accusations with zero evidence to support it became, "more shows rigged elections and elections have been rigged for many years"?

Trump-appointed elections commissioner says 'no real evidence' of president's claims about voter fraud

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politi...e-of-presidents-claims-about-voter-fraud

It takes some special kind of thinking to believe trump and his yes men that only elections where he loses are rigged. When every time they make these crazy claims they are debunked and disproven create such an uproar? And let me ask you, if those elections were rigged how did Republican members of the house, the senate and state Republican officials get elected? Is there some magical way that these ballots only rigged the votes for trump and didn't touch anything else on those ballots? Come on man, you're smarter than that.

And please keep in mind that trump asked Georgia election officials to "find him votes". And seven states had people try to represent themselves as electors who were fake electors after the 2020 election to claim Trump won states he actually lost. Arizona,Georgia,Michigan,Nevada,New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

So if you're looking for people trying to cheat you don't have to look very far. But they also failed.

How many convicted felons or people that have been admitted to mental institutions murdered someone by voting?

No election has ever been rigged. Every election has been decided by counting the votes of American citizens who voted. But trump might take over this election "dont worry about it"

If there is ever a shred of legit evidence of a "rigged election" then I'd be far more willing to have a serious conversation about it.

NO its not another issue. His non stop lying about rigid elections will be his justification for declaring a national emergency where none exist. So he can rig the election. Which has never happened before. Its like calling everything fake news then constantly lying about what he says ( and what you should believe ) he is doing. He had his lackies attack the capital. He will do this. He has already tried and failed. I guess you will be ok with this becuase it will be good for your party.

I'm confused. On one hand, elections have never been rigged and there is no way to rig them. It's such a non-issue that you don't even think IDs should be required to vote.

On the other... "Trump is going to rig the election!!!!"

Please explain, how he will rig the election?

Does that mean you think we should do nothing to further secure elections until there is evidence that one has been rigged?

Let me ask you three questions, though I'll admit, the third assumes I know the answer to the first two (for good reason).
Do you lock your doors when you go to sleep at night?
Have you ever been robbed?

If you've never had your house robbed, why bother locking the door??

Look at the title of this post

Pretty simple really. None of the allegations about "rigged elections" have shown to be true. Not that it's "impossible". It's just that none of the measures they're trying to create would address anything that has been proven to create any mass voter fraud.

Now if you can get fake electors to change the outcome of state election results or if you can pressure state election officials to "find you votes" that would be a way to rig elections. Yet thus far we don't hear anyone getting any punishment for those things and no Republican has proposed any laws to stiffen the penalties for or called for congressional investigations and convictions of those who committed these acts.

So the ways of actually rigging elections has been ignored while all the bogus accusations suddenly need election reform to stop things that never happened to start with.

People who have been paying attention understand that.

What??

What does the title of the post have to do with Trump rigging the election?

You've said numerous times he's going to rig the election. Put your money where your mouth is and tell us all how.

what dont you understand he is going to declare a national emergency and create his own outcome to the elections.

I have no problem with requiring ID for elections. The merits of requiring official ID to vote would be a VERY short and uninteresting debate between you and I.

While improvements can always (and should) be made, we are NOT in the middle of a crisis/emergency. The latter is what we're discussing here. So my answers to your questions are what you would expect, but nobody is talking about me not locking my doors. What Trump and Republicans are saying is that I should be calling the police, filing an insurance claim, and installing an expensive security system to prevent something they say happened but hasn't.

While "declining to rule out" seems to be Trump's favorite method of bluster, he has been very consistent in his claims of widespread and even systemic election fraud. Personally, I doubt he would do anything as dramatic as declare an emergency in order to exert undue control over our election processes.

This is it in a nutshell. Period. Fact based observation.

The rest is fear mongering or the blind following of a pathological liar.

How would he do that, elections are impenetrable?

You keep repeating it, you have to have some kind of idea, hypothesis, conspiracy theory, fantasy... something you can share with us as to how he would rig the elections?

The hypothetical at play here is that by declaring a national emergency, he could exert additional influence on election procedures. An example was included in the article regarding Trump directing the postal service to not deliver mail-in ballots.

So, I guess:
Proof of citizenship
Photo identification
Database verification tools
Voter list maintenance

Is a bridge too far?

To me, that's just as simple as locking your door, not all the stuff you listed above.

To each his own, I guess.


BTW... recent insurance polls have confirm a 40 year trend... about 76% of America locks their doors at night.
About 0.7% have ever been robbed.
Why lock your doors if you've never been robbed?

To me, this is the very same conversation when people fight everything proposed to secure elections based on the fact one has never been rigged.

Why lock your door? To make sure you never are robbed.
Why secure elections? To make sure they never are rigged.

You do realize in most cases on this board it hasn't been about voter ID at all. It's about IF you are going to require an ID to vote they should be free and transportation should be provided to acquire one when needed, right?

Nobody charges you for a background check to purchase a firearm. Constitutional rights should not have a price tag attached to them to exercise them.

This issue for the most part is actually to not make it harder for the impoverished and the poor living long distances from locations to get state ID's to have obstacles put in their way in order to exercise their constitutional right to vote.

The SAVE act isn't as simple as just "having a photo ID" either. It goes much further than that.