Trump allies push national emergency declaration to seize election control
Election deniers including Wayne Allyn Root urge Trump to declare national emergency to federalize voting, ban mail ballots and voting machines.
Conversation activity · last 10 hours peak 2/15m
Summary, timeline and people extracted by Claude from 2 items across 2 sources · 5h ago. Quotes are verbatim.
Since April 2025, right-wing figures and Trump allies have called for President Trump to declare a national emergency over elections, with some claiming to have drafted an executive order circulating in the Trump administration that would empower him to ban mail ballots and voting machines and deploy the National Guard. Trump has issued two election-related executive orders during his second term (March and March 31, 2025), both of which faced federal court challenges, and on June 24 echoed calls to treat election fraud legislation as a national emergency.
- A coordinated group of right-wing figures and Trump allies has been pushing since April 2025 for Trump to declare a national emergency to federalize elections, with claims a draft executive order is circulating in the administration.
- The proposed emergency order would empower Trump to ban mail ballots and voting machines, deploy the National Guard, and effectively give him what allies describe as 'king-like powers' over election administration.
- Trump has already issued two election-related executive orders in 2025, both blocked or partially blocked by federal courts, and echoed the emergency framing on June 24, 2026.
- Election experts have characterized Trump's executive orders as unconstitutional, and the broader emergency declaration push represents an effort to override normal constitutional election processes.
How it unfolded
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Media Matters publishes report documenting months of pressure from election deniers calling for Trump to declare national emergency, citing circulated draft executive order and claims the document is on Trump's desk. Gateway Pundit reports Trump suggested in Wayne Root interview he may declare such an emergency.
“I believe Trump could sign an executive order to get rid of the machines and say ... that a vendor cannot have that much influence over our elections”
Tina Peters · Bluesky ↗ - 7 weeks quiet
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Trump echoed calls from election deniers and suggested that passing a bill to combat election fraud is a 'national emergency,' while canceling plans to sign bipartisan housing legislation until the SAVE America Act passes.
- 64 weeks quiet
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Since at least April 2025, a group of right-wing figures and Trump allies including attorney Peter Ticktin, former Infowars staffer Jerome Corsi, and QAnon influencer Juan O. Savin began calling for Trump to issue a national emergency declaration to secure 2026 elections, proposing a draft executive order that would ban mail ballots and voting machines.
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Trump issued an executive order directing the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Postal Service to compile lists of citizens and transmit ballots only to those on state-specific mail-in participation lists. Election experts called it unconstitutional, and a federal judge blocked parts of it on June 25.
- 4 weeks quiet
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Trump issued an executive order directing the Election Assistance Commission to require government-issued proof of U.S. citizenship for voter registration and directing states to count ballots by Election Day. Multiple federal judges later blocked this order.
What people are saying verbatim
“I believe Trump could sign an executive order to get rid of the machines and say ... that a vendor cannot have that much influence over our elections”
Tina Peters, Election denier · Media Matters article (via Bluesky) ↗ · Aug 10
“empower the president to ban mail ballots and voting machines as the vectors of foreign interference”
Right-wing figures, Trump allies and election deniers · Media Matters article ↗ · Aug 10
“be able to make the rules”
Media figures, Election fraud promoters · Media Matters article ↗ · Aug 10
“issue an executive order through a national emergency and have the National Guard count those ballots by hand”
Trump allies, Election deniers · Media Matters article ↗ · Aug 10
“until such time as we pass the desperately needed SAVE AMERICA ACT, which I consider to be a National Emergency”
President Donald Trump, U.S. President · Media Matters article ↗ · Jun 23