Updated ,first published
Washington: US President Donald Trump said Republicans should “take over” and “nationalise” voting in 15 states ahead of the November midterm elections – an escalation of his unproven claims about widespread voter fraud that has outraged Democrats and alarmed political analysts.
The president made the comments when he dialled into The Dan Bongino Show – a podcast run by Trump’s former FBI deputy director Bongino, who recently quit the post after nearly a year to return to podcasting.
During a long monologue on immigration and his goal of deporting more migrant criminals from Minnesota, Trump claimed – wrongly – to have won the state three times. In fact, he lost to the Democratic candidate in all three presidential elections he contested.
“There’s something in the water up there … I won the state three times, but I got no credit for it,” he said. “I won that state three times, but it’s a rigged state.”
Trump went on to say illegal immigrants had to be removed from the country, indulging a long-held conspiracy theory that Democrats are deliberately bringing migrants into the country so that they can unlawfully vote for the party.
“If we don’t get them out, Republicans will never win another election,” he said.
“These people were brought to our country to vote, and they vote illegally. It’s amazing that the Republicans aren’t tougher on it. The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over’. We should take over the voting in at least – many – 15 places.
“The Republicans ought to nationalise the voting. We have states that are so crooked, and they’re counting votes. We have states that I won that show I didn’t win.”
In the US system, states are primarily responsible for co-ordinating elections – including national ones – with local county officials.
It was not immediately clear what Trump had in mind when he advocated a national Republican takeover, but he has previously expressed a desire to eliminate mail-in ballots and “seriously controversial voting machines”.
In a long Truth Social post in August, he said he would sign an executive order “to help bring HONESTY to the 2026 Midterm Elections”. The states “must do what the Federal Government, as represented by the President of the United States, tells them, FOR THE GOOD OF OUR COUNTRY, to do”, Trump wrote at the time.
Trump’s latest remarks about taking over voting procedures in 15 states have alarmed Democrats. Chuck Schumer, the party’s leader in the Senate, likened the proclivities to those of a tin-pot dictator.
“This is more dangerous, autocratic poison from Donald Trump,” he said on Tuesday (Washington time). “This president clearly doesn’t believe in Democracy at all … and people on the other side of the aisle just shrug their shoulders. It’s incredible.”
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson defended Trump when questioned about the comments by CNN, but appeared to shy away from the idea of a federal takeover.
“The president is expressing his frustration about the problems we have in some of these blue states where election integrity is not always guaranteed,” he said. “We have to figure out solutions to that problem.”
John Thune, the Republican Senate leader, also poured cold water on Trump’s idea, pointing to constitutional limitations. “I’m not in favour of federalising elections,” he told reporters. “I’m a big believer in decentralising and distributing power.”
In a statement, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson did not elaborate on what Trump meant by his proposed federal takeover, but said he urged Congress to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, requiring voters to present proof of US citizenship, among other measures.
Only 36 states require voters to show photo identification at the polls or a document without a photo, such as a bank statement or utility bill.
In other states and in Washington DC, people can cast a ballot in person by signing an affidavit or poll book, or by providing personal information such as their name and address “either verbally or in writing”. The amount of verification that election officials are required to do varies from state to state.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, in Minnesota, the voter must sign an affidavit of eligibility and, if requested, provide their name, address and date of birth. It is optional for election officials in Minnesota to check that voter information.
Asked to clarify his remarks on Wednesday (AEDT), Trump questioned the integrity of elections in Detroit, Philadelphia and Atlanta – all Democratic cities.
He also implied that the 2024 presidential election – which he won – was “crooked” in some states.
“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,” he said, referring to Republican Party leaders also present in the Oval Office.
“If you think about it, a state is an agent for the federal government in elections. I don’t know why the federal government doesn’t do them anyway.”
Asked about the Constitution’s declaration that states should administer elections, Trump said: “They can administer the election, but they have to do it honestly.”
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Michael Koziol is the North America correspondent for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Sydney editor, Sun-Herald deputy editor and a federal political reporter in Canberra.Connect via X or email.