President Donald Trump sits at his desk wearing a hat that says “America is back” at the White House on February 3, 2026 in Washington.
Evelyn HochsteinReuter
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that “the federal government should be involved” in elections in states that cannot conduct their own elections “legally and honestly.”
If they can’t do that, “someone else should take over,” Trump said in the Oval Office after signing the bill funding the federal government.
These comments indicate that Republicans are not backing away from recent proposals that elections should be “nationalized,” even as Democrats have expressed concerns that the administration will try to interfere in upcoming midterm elections.
“If states can’t hold elections, I think the people behind me should do something,” Trump said in the Oval Office, referring to several Republican lawmakers standing around him.
In a podcast interview published Monday, he was questioned about what he really meant when he called on Republicans to “take over the vote.”
In an interview with former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, President Trump said, “Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over. We should take over the voting, at least in many — 15 places…Republicans should nationalize the voting.'”
President Trump spoke at the White House hours after the House narrowly approved a measure ending the partial government shutdown. The vote was close because hard-line Republicans wanted to force the Senate to consider the SAVE Act, which would mandate voter ID nationwide. President Trump urged Republicans in Congress to pass the bill.
Under the U.S. Constitution, states are primarily responsible for administering their election systems. Asked about that fact on Tuesday, President Trump said: “They can administer the election, but they have to do it with integrity.”
He also said, “If you think about it, the states are agents of the federal government in elections. I don’t see why the federal government wouldn’t do them anyway. But when you look at how badly some of these states are conducting their elections, what a shame it is.”
President Trump echoed his frequent claims that the 2020 election, in which he lost his re-election bid to former President Joe Biden, was “rigged” and “distorted.” There is no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election.
“Look at Detroit,” he said. “Look at Philadelphia. You look at Atlanta.”
“Look at the places where there is horrific election corruption. The federal government should not tolerate it. The federal government should get involved,” Trump said.
“They are agents of the federal government who are there to count the votes. If they can’t count the votes legally and honestly, someone else should take over.”
