Trump makes his most explosive election claim yet at the State of the Union, and he said it directly to Democrats’ faces

President Trump used his State of the Union address to push for new election security laws and repeat his claims of widespread voter fraud. He spoke directly to Democrats about the proposed SAVE America Act, making clear what he expects to happen with the bill.

The SAVE America Act would require proof of citizenship when registering to vote and photo identification every time someone casts a ballot. It would also give the Department of Homeland Security access to states’ voter rolls.

According to The New York Times, The House passed the bill earlier this month, mostly along party lines. But it has hit a wall in the Senate, where Democrats are united against it, making it very unlikely to get the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster.

The SAVE America Act is becoming a key political battleground ahead of the midterms

Trump, along with allies like Elon Musk and rapper Nicki Minaj, has been urging Senate Majority Leader John Thune to fight hard for the bill. They want him to either push it through or use a “talking filibuster,” a tactic where opponents must continuously occupy the Senate floor to block a vote, something that hasn’t been required in the Senate for years.

“We are going to have the Save America Act, one way or the other, after approval by Congress through the very proper use of the Filibuster or, at minimum, by a Talking Filibuster,” Trump posted on social media last week. This comes at a time when Trump is also facing pushback on other major foreign policy moves, including his administration’s approach to the Iran nuclear standoff.

Senator Thune said he would consider options for bringing the bill to a vote, but he has warned that a talking filibuster could disrupt work on other legislation, particularly as Republicans want to focus on affordability issues. Trump has dismissed these concerns.

Many Republican allies now openly argue that passing this bill is their only path to keeping control of Congress in the midterms. Their plan is either to pass the voting restrictions or to spend the coming months attacking Democrats for opposing them. 

Separately, Trump has also been applying pressure on the international stage, with analysts weighing in on what Trump’s Iran deal deadline really means and whether it will hold. Democrats strongly oppose the SAVE America Act, saying it would make it harder for millions of people to vote. 

They argue that many people lack the required documents, including women whose birth certificates or passports don’t reflect their married names, as well as legal immigrants and working-class individuals.

This push comes as Trump has revived his voter fraud claims ahead of the midterms. These claims have been repeatedly debunked but have been a consistent part of his messaging, including during the lead-up to January 6, 2021. 

During his 2024 campaign, he also repeatedly and without evidence accused Democrats of encouraging illegal border crossings to create new voters. House Republicans passed a narrower version of the SAVE Act last year requiring only proof of citizenship for voter registration. This year, they passed the broader bill and are also pushing to ban universal mail-in voting and outlaw counting ballots after Election Day.