President Donald Trump has intensified his criticism of the United States electoral system, calling on Republicans to “nationalize” voting as the country heads toward this year’s midterm elections. His remarks come amid renewed claims of widespread voter fraud and his continued refusal to accept the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to Joe Biden.
Speaking during a recent podcast appearance, Trump suggested that responsibility for conducting elections should be taken away from some states and handed over to the federal government. “The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over,’” he said, adding that voting should be federally controlled in “many, 15 places.”
The comments drew swift backlash from Democrats and voting rights advocates, arriving at a time when Republicans face the possibility of losing control of Congress in the November midterms. Recent polls show declining approval ratings for Trump, alongside a series of Republican losses in local elections.
Despite repeated court rulings and investigations that upheld the integrity of the 2020 vote, Trump has continued to push unsubstantiated claims of electoral fraud. Asked about his proposal to nationalize elections, he told reporters that he did not understand why the federal government was not already in charge. In a separate interview, he alleged that certain parts of the country were “extremely corrupt,” warning that alternative measures would be necessary if elections could not be conducted “properly and timely.”
Legal experts have raised serious constitutional concerns. Justin Levitt, a law professor and former government official, explained that the Constitution clearly assigns the administration of elections to individual states, describing the arrangement as deliberate and essential to preventing abuse of power. According to him, there is little room for debate on the matter.
Still, Trump has remained defiant. He has repeatedly claimed that the 2020 election was rigged, a position he reiterated earlier this year while addressing global leaders, insisting that those responsible would eventually face prosecution. Since returning to office, the president has expanded executive authority in ways critics say push long-standing boundaries.
In late January, federal agents seized hundreds of boxes of ballots and election-related materials in Georgia as part of a controversial investigation into Trump’s 2020 loss in the state. The operation drew further attention due to the involvement of senior intelligence officials, raising questions about the use of federal power in domestic electoral matters.
At the same time, the Justice Department has pursued legal action in several states to obtain voting records, while the administration has continued to promote claims that undocumented immigrants are voting illegally on a large scale. Legal scholars warn that such actions appear aimed at undermining public confidence in upcoming elections.
Rick Hasen, a constitutional law expert, said these moves could be part of a broader strategy to cast doubt on future results, cautioning that they may signal an attempt to influence how elections are run in the coming years. Civil rights organizations have also voiced concern, accusing the administration of engaging in tactics that threaten democratic norms.
Some critics fear a more extreme scenario, pointing to comments from Trump allies suggesting the use of federal law enforcement to monitor polling stations. Statements like these have heightened anxiety about the potential erosion of democratic safeguards as the midterm elections draw closer.
