President Donald Trump is pushing for a major change in how the country runs elections. He wants Republicans to “nationalize the voting” before the important midterm elections happening later this year. This would be a huge shift from how things have always worked in America.
According to CNN, Trump made this suggestion during a podcast interview with Dan Bongino, a former deputy director of the FBI. He said the party should “take over, we should take over the voting, the voting in at least many, 15 places. The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting.” Elections in the U.S. have always been run by state and local officials, with the federal government playing only a small role.
Trump defended his position by repeating his claims that the 2020 election was stolen, even though these claims have not been proven. He said some states are “so crooked” and are counting votes incorrectly. He claimed there are states he won that currently show he didn’t win.
Trump’s push reflects ongoing distrust in current election systems
This call for action came less than a week after the FBI searched an elections office in Fulton County, Georgia. This county has been a major target of Trump’s complaints about the 2020 election results. Trump mentioned the search, saying, “Now you’re going to see something in Georgia where they were able to get with a court order, the ballots, you’re going to see some interesting things come out.”
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard confirmed that Trump himself told her to go to Atlanta for the search. Sources say Gabbard even put the president on the phone with some of the FBI agents during the search. The conversation included a brief “pep talk” from the president to the agents.
This isn’t Trump’s first attempt to change election rules. Last year, he signed an order requiring voters to show proof of U.S. citizenship when registering. The order also tried to stop states from counting mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day, though parts of it were blocked in federal court.
Trump has also promised to eliminate voting methods he claims lead to fraud. Last August, he pledged to end mail-in ballots completely and ban voting machines, though he never signed an order to enforce these bans.
The Justice Department has been pushing claims that undocumented immigrants are voting in U.S. elections, despite no solid evidence. The DOJ has sued two dozen states asking for full voter rolls, including Social Security numbers and home addresses.
State election officials are now preparing for possible federal interference. Democratic secretaries of state have been discussing how to protect voters from federal law enforcement at polling places. Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon said he and his colleagues have been talking about how to handle the administration’s demands for private voter data. The president has recently been focusing attention on Minnesota politicians amid these election disputes.
Simon called preparing for federal intrusion a “legitimate planning category,” though he admits it’s “extraordinarily sad” they have to consider it. Trump’s aggressive approach to election oversight mirrors his recent stance on international agreements, as seen when South Korea faced immediate consequences over deal disputes.
Published: Feb 3, 2026 11:45 am