President Trump escalated his rhetoric around U.S. elections this week, calling on Republicans to completely “nationalize” voting across the country. The comments came during a lengthy monologue on a conservative podcast released Monday, as detailed by The New York Times.
During the interview, the president urged Republican officials to “take over” voting procedures in at least 15 states, though he did not specify which ones. “The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over,’” Trump said, adding that the party should nationalize voting in multiple places.
The remarks immediately drew attention because U.S. elections are governed primarily by state law and administered by local officials. The decentralized system is rooted in constitutional structure and long-standing practice across thousands of counties and municipalities.
The push reflects a broader attempt to assert federal control over elections
Trump tied his call for partisan control of elections to his administration’s immigration agenda, again claiming that undocumented immigrants are voting in large numbers to benefit Democrats, a point that has become controversial in current politics with coverage of a recent dispute involving Trump’s insults after Don Lemon’s arrest. He warned that failure to address the issue would doom the Republican Party electorally. “If Republicans don’t get them out, you will never win another election as a Republican,” he said, repeating variations of the claim.
Those assertions have repeatedly been disputed by audits and reviews conducted by state officials from both parties. A 2024 audit by Georgia’s secretary of state found that out of roughly 8.2 million registered voters in the state, only 20 were identified as noncitizens, with just nine having ever cast ballots.
The president’s comments follow a series of recent actions aimed at increasing federal involvement in election administration. Last week, F.B.I. agents seized ballots and voting records from the 2020 election in Fulton County, Georgia, an area where Trump allies have long alleged fraud. The president later spoke with the agents involved and praised their actions. Coverage of Capitol Police actions toward defiant Democrats under protection has also factored into ongoing political tensions.
The Justice Department has also pressed several states, including Minnesota, to turn over full voter rolls as part of an effort to build a national voter file. Earlier initiatives have faced legal resistance. An executive order signed last March seeking to require proof of citizenship for voting and to mandate that mail ballots be received by poll closing time was largely blocked by the courts.
Trump has additionally used social media and press appearances to argue for eliminating mail-in voting and possibly voting machines altogether. He said last month that he regretted not deploying the National Guard to seize voting equipment following the 2020 election.
The renewed push comes as Democrats have posted strong electoral performances in recent months, including landslide gubernatorial wins in New Jersey and Virginia and a decisive Democratic victory in a Texas State Senate special election. That race marked a significant swing in a district Trump carried comfortably in 2024, amid broader concerns within the party about midterm backlash.
Published: Feb 2, 2026 07:30 pm