President Donald Trump hints at declaring a national emergency ahead of the midterms: ‘Stranger things have happened’
President Donald Trump declined to rule out declaring a national emergency to gain greater control over the 2026 midterm elections during an August 11 interview, offering a cryptic response after conservative talk show host Wayne Allyn Root suggested the move as a workaround for a stalled Senate voting bill.
Speaking with Root on Real America’s Voice, Trump left open the possibility of declaring a national security emergency and federalizing control over the November elections if the Senate fails to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or SAVE America Act.
Root argued that Trump could declare a national security emergency if the Senate fails to act, citing the Supreme Court‘s 1983 ruling in INS v. Chadha. He claimed such a declaration could not be challenged and could be overturned only by a two-thirds vote in both chambers of Congress. Root said the move could establish photo ID and proof-of-citizenship requirements while limiting mail-in voting.
Trump’s response was brief.
“Let me just say that stranger things have happened, okay? I’ll leave it at that,” he said.
Trump cut Root off rather than directly addressing the legal theory behind the proposal.
Why the comment is raising alarm
The remark is the latest concern that Trump could seek to influence elections before votes are cast, rather than simply challenge results afterward as he did following his 2020 loss, which contributed to the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Whether Trump could actually take control of elections under the scenario Root described remains unclear.
CNN’s Marshall Cohen and Michael Williams reported in February that the Constitution makes it difficult for a president to “nationalize” elections, while courts have consistently upheld the states’ authority to administer them. Legal analysts have noted that presidents generally have greater latitude to act unilaterally when invoking national security, which is why some Trump allies have focused their theories on alleged foreign interference rather than ordinary election administration.
The stalled SAVE America Act
The SAVE America Act, formally known as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, is legislation Trump and House Republicans have pushed Senate Republicans to pass for months.
The bill would require Americans to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections and to show photo identification at the polls.
Trump, Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota and Senate conservatives reached an agreement on August 7 to postpone action on much of the bill until after the August recess. The Senate is scheduled to return September 14.
According to earlier reporting from The Hill, Senate Republicans are considering a narrower vote on photo ID requirements rather than advancing the full package.
Root frames national emergency as a workaround
Root directly encouraged Trump to declare a “national security emergency” that could allow him to intervene in the 2026 midterms.
“Let me put an idea in your head. Because it’s so hard to get the Senate to do anything, now they’re on recess, they never get anything done. If they never get the SAVE America Act done, you have the right to declare a national security emergency for elections,” Root told Trump.
Trump did not reject the idea.
A draft executive order has circulated
Trump’s remarks follow months of reporting about a draft executive order based on unproven claims of foreign election interference.
The Washington Post reported in late February that pro-Trump activists claiming to be coordinating with the White House were circulating a 17-page draft order alleging Chinese interference in the 2020 election. The proposal would use those allegations as grounds for declaring a national emergency and granting the president extraordinary powers over elections.
A version dated April 12, 2025, has circulated among anti-voting and progressive groups. Trump ally Peter Ticktin provided the document to Democracy Docket.
Titled “Establishing Security, Integrity and Transparency for United States Elections with Protections Against Foreign Interference,” the draft is based on the theory that China interfered in the 2020 election. It would give Trump authority to unilaterally restrict mail-in ballots and voting machines on the grounds that they are vulnerable to foreign interference.
Voting rights experts and at least one state election chief have argued that Trump lacks such authority and that any attempt to exercise it would be illegal.
Democratic lawmakers have objected
Concerns about the draft order reached Capitol Hill before Trump’s August 11 interview.
In a letter to Trump, a member of Congress warned that individuals working with the administration were circulating a draft order that would declare a national emergency based on allegations of foreign interference in the 2020 election and use that declaration to claim sweeping presidential authority over federal elections.
The lawmaker called the proposal an extraordinary and unlawful expansion of executive power.
The letter cited intelligence community assessments finding no evidence that Chinese interference altered any technical aspect of the 2020 voting process. It also noted that courts reviewing challenges to the 2020 election results found no irregularities capable of changing the outcome.
Reaction from Congress
Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer responded to Trump’s remarks on X, accusing the president of seeking to take over American elections.
Schumer said Senate Democrats were prepared to fight what he called unprecedented and illegal efforts, adding that voters’ ballots belong to them and will remain that way.