President Donald Trump is facing a wave of backlash over his remarks that Republicans should "nationalize" elections.
When reached by Newsweek, a White House spokesperson pointed to Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt saying that Trump was referring to the SAVE Act.
"The president believes in the United States competition," she said. "However, he believes there has obviously been a lot of fraud and irregularities that have taken place in American elections, and voter ID is a highly popular and commonsense policy that the president wants to pursue."
Trump said in an interview with former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino that he would like Republicans to "take over" and "nationalize" voting amid unfounded concerns about electoral fraud. Trump and his allies have repeatedly claimed widespread fraud in the 2020 election in which he lost to Joe Biden, but there has been no evidence of widespread fraud.
His comments come ahead of the November 2026 midterm elections. Polls give Democrats an advantage to retake control of the House and show them with a path to regain control the Senate, despite a challenging map. Historically, the party of the White House loses seats in the midterms. Legal experts have said the president does not have authority to nationalize elections.
Critics of the president responded with outrage to his remarks about nationalizing elections.
"The idea that anyone would trust for one minute this guy running an honest election would be beyond comprehension," Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with Democrats, said on CNN. "Not to mention that obviously he has not read the Constitution of the United States, which has states running elections, not the federal government."
He described Trump as a "demagogue" and an "authoritarian" who is "moving this country in a very, very dangerous direction."
Senator Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, said during a press conference he has "deep concerns" about the fairness of elections in 2026 and 2028.
"The idea that now Donald Trump wants to nationalize these elections and have one political party take over that progress. This provides a huge danger to our country going forward, and the safety and the security of these elections,"
he said.
Lawyer Marc Elias warned on X: "Donald Trump has been telling us that if he doesn't like the outcome of the elections he will seize ballots. He wants Republicans to take control of voting. He wants to take over elections in Democratic states. People should be concerned and we all need to be ready."
Comments made by War Room podcast host and former Trump adviser Steve Bannon have also drawn criticism. Bannon said during the podcast on Tuesday: "You're damn right we're gonna have ICE surround the polls come November." Caroline Wren, a GOP fundraiser, agreed with Bannon, saying that Democrats are seeking to "defund ICE" to keep agents away from polling sites.
Democratic strategist Matt McDermott raised concerns about Bannon's remarks.
"It is critical that any DHS funding agreement include explicit safeguards to prevent ICE from interfering in elections,"
McDermott wrote on X.
Bill Kristol, conservative editor-at-large of The Bulwark and a Trump critic, said: "Democrats should defund and restrain ICE to the degree possible. And they should insist on this condition at least: No ICE [or Border Patrol] anywhere near the polls or early voting election locations this fall."
Trump himself has not called for ICE to be present at polling sites.
Senator Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, also raised concerns about Trump's remarks.
"That's not what the Constitution says about elections,"
he said. "There is some dispute -- it has gone to the Supreme Court -- about whether federal elections are different from state elections. And the Supreme Court did rule that, for example, Washington state can't set term limits on federal officials if Georgia doesn't. It has to be uniform election law. But as far as the time, place and manner of the elections, that under the Constitution is a state activity."
Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, on X: "Many said we were exaggerating a year ago when we argued that Trump is a clear and present danger to our democracy. A year later they are eating their words. It's up to every single one of us to save our democracy."
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, on Monday: "Does Donald Trump need a copy of the Constitution? What he's saying is outlandishly illegal. Once again, the president's talking no differently than a dictator who wants elections in America to be as legitimate as elections in countries like Venezuela."
Representative Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican, on X: "I opposed nationalizing elections when Speaker Pelosi wanted major changes to elections in all 50 states. I'll oppose this now as well. I work w/the NE Gov & Unicameral to ensure we have secure elections where every citizen's vote counts. This is what the Constitution calls for."
Senator Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, on X: "Let's put the pieces together. The letter to officials in Minnesota demanding they turn over voting lists. The raid of the Georgia election office. The declaration he wants to 'nationalize' elections. He's getting ready to try to steal the November election. We won't let him."
The midterms are set to be held in November. Meanwhile, federal authorities executed a search warrant at Fulton County's main election office in Georgia as part of an investigation into the 2020 presidential election, officials said. Fulton County officials went to court on Wednesday seeking the return of the records seized last week. Democrats have been critical of the investigation, saying federal law enforcement is being used to pursue Trump's political opponents.