Former White House strategist Steve Bannon just dropped a bombshell, suggesting he wants Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to literally surround polling places during the November midterm elections, as reported by The Hill. Bannon, who hosts the “War Room” podcast, that this show of force is necessary to ensure election integrity. He stated they won’t stand for what he sees as continued theft.
“You’re d— right we’re going to have ICE surround the polls come November,” Bannon asserted. He continued, explaining that they won’t “sit here and allow you to steal the country again. And you can whine and cry and throw your toys out of the pram all you want, but we will never again allow an election to be stolen.”
This intense push for federal intervention aligns closely with President Trump’s recent calls to nationalize election oversight. President Trump, who continues to blame his 2020 loss on widespread, baseless fraud supposedly committed by people including immigrants without legal status, has doubled down on wanting federal control.
It looks like the fight over who controls the ballot box is only going to get louder as November approaches
Just recently, President Trump told reporters he thinks Republicans should “take over the voting in at least 15 places.” He claimed that “horrible corruption” is taking place in Democratic-led cities across the nation, specifically calling out places like Detroit, Philadelphia, and Atlanta. “I want to see elections be honest, and if a state can’t run an election, I think the people behind me should do something about it,” President Trump said in the Oval Office.
The focus on alleged fraud in places like Georgia, particularly Fulton County, has been a central point in President Trump’s ongoing assertions. Last week, the seizure of voting records during an FBI raid at the county’s elections hub only raised more questions on Capitol Hill, adding fuel to the fire.
To combat this perceived corruption, many Republicans are pushing hard for the passage of the SAVE Act. It is a bill that would require voters to show ID and provide proof of U.S. citizenship when they cast their ballot. Naturally, this proposal is generating massive pushback from Democrats. They are decrying the SAVE Act as a direct attack on voting rights, arguing it’s an effort to disenfranchise millions of Americans, especially minorities and low-income voters.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called the proposal “nothing more than Jim Crow 2.0” on X. But Republicans are just as quick to rebuff that harsh characterization. Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) argued that Democrats are just trying to protect their ability to win. Johnson stated that Democrats “want to make it easy to cheat in the elections. Anytime there’s any kind of election security provision, they, you know, they haul out the old Jim Crow 2.0 phrase. This is their way of maintaining power.”
It’s an incredibly heated debate, but here’s where things get interesting: even within the GOP, there’s significant skepticism about President Trump’s idea to fully nationalize or federalize elections. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) flat out rejected the concept. “I’m supportive of only citizens voting and showing ID at polling places. I think that makes sense,” Thune explained to reporters. “But I’m not in favor of federalizing elections, no. I think that’s a constitutional issue.”
Published: Feb 5, 2026 11:00 am