Trump urges Republicans to 'nationalize' voting
President Donald Trump urged Republicans to "take over" and "nationalize" voting on Monday.
Trump made the comments during an interview with former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino. Under the Constitution, states set the rules for both federal and state elections, establishing "the times, places, and manner of holding elections for the House of Representatives and the Senate."
"The Republicans should say, 'We want to take over,'" Trump told Bongino. "We should take over the voting ... in at least many, 15 places. The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting. We have states that are so crooked and they're counting votes."
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer pounced on the idea during remarks on the floor of the Senate.
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"Just a few hours ago, Donald Trump said he wants to nationalize elections around the country. That's what Trump said. You think he believes in democracy? He said, 'We want to take over, the Republicans ought to nationalize the voting,'" Schumer said Monday. "Does Donald Trump need a copy of the Constitution? What he is saying is outlandishly illegal."
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson later clarified Trump's comments in a statement to ABC News. She argued Trump was expressing his desire for the U.S. to have free and fair elections.
"President Trump cares deeply about the safety and security of our elections – that’s why he’s urged Congress to pass the SAVE Act and other legislative proposals that would establish a uniform standard of photo ID for voting, prohibit no-excuse mail-in voting, and end the practice of ballot harvesting," Jackson said.
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Trump's comments come amid a desperate battle for advantage in the 2026 midterm elections. The GOP and Democrats battled over Congressional redistricting plans throughout last year, with Texas redrawing maps to create five new GOP-favored seats and California countering with its own new maps.
More redistricting battles are continuing across the country as the midterms near.
Republicans currently hold a razor-thin majority in the House, and midterm elections are historically unfavorable for the sitting president's party.
Trump kicked off an aggressive midterm campaign schedule with a rally in Iowa last week, warning supporters that losing control of Congress would jeopardize his tax cuts, border policies and broader second-term agenda as he urged Republicans to turn out and "win the midterms."
"If we lose the midterms, you’ll lose so many of the things that we’re talking about, so many of the assets that we’re talking about, so many of the tax cuts that we’re talking about, and it would lead to very bad things," Trump told the crowd.
Fox News' Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.