President Donald Trump called on Republicans to “take over” election administration during a podcast interview aired Monday, as his administration works to implement changes to voting procedures ahead of the midterm elections.
“The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting,” Trump told podcast host Dan Bongino. “We should take over the voting in at least many, 15 places.”
Trump’s comments came days after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) searched an elections office in Fulton County, Georgia. The county has been central to Trump’s claims that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent. CNN previously reported the search was part of a U.S. Department of Justice investigation to obtain election records and examine allegations of voter fraud.
“We have states that are so crooked and they’re counting votes. We have states that I won, that show I didn’t win,” Trump said. “Now you’re going to see something in Georgia… you’re going to see some interesting things come out.”
According to two sources familiar with the matter, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said Trump instructed her to go to Atlanta in connection with the search. One source said Gabbard placed Trump on a call with FBI agents involved, describing it as a brief “pep talk.”
In the United States, state and local officials administer elections, with the federal government maintaining a limited role. Trump, however, has continued advocating changes to election systems.
Last year, he signed an executive order that sought to require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote and to ban counting mail ballots received after Election Day. A federal court has partially blocked the order. Non-citizens are already barred from voting in federal elections.
Trump has repeatedly pledged to change voting practices, targeting methods he claims lead to fraud. In August, he said he would lead a movement to end mail-in voting and ban voting machines through another executive order. That order was not signed.
Trump has also launched a mid-decade redistricting effort aimed at helping Republicans gain additional U.S. House seats in the 2024 midterm elections.
Meanwhile, the Justice Department has sued more than 20 states seeking access to full voter rolls, including personal data such as Social Security numbers and addresses. The department has raised concerns, without citing independent evidence, about non-citizens participating in elections.
Some Democratic election officials have responded by preparing for potential federal involvement. Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon said last month his office and others are planning for scenarios including protecting voters from potential federal law enforcement interactions at polling sites.
“This is now a legitimate planning category,” Simon said during the National Association of Secretaries of State winter meeting. “It’s extraordinarily sad, but it would be irresponsible for us to disregard the possibility.”
Democratic secretaries said they are limiting public discussion of their preparations in order to avoid causing alarm or revealing details that could be misused. They said their strategies are evolving in response to new challenges posed by the administration.
