Freezing congressionally approved spending. Imposing tariffs unilaterally. Abducting foreign leaders. Rebranding Washington institutions.
Republican lawmakers have largely deferred to President Trump during his first year back in office on those matters and more, acknowledging the grip he holds over the GOP voters who decide their future employment.
Now comes the latest should-we-take-him-seriously test: Trump’s demand that elections be “nationalized.”
“The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over,’” he said on a podcast with conservative firebrand Dan Bongino, who served until recently as Trump’s deputy FBI director. “We should take over the voting, the voting in at least many—15 places. The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting.”
It’s not clear what that would mean precisely, since his proposal was more vague tirade than detailed policy plan. But it’s another instance of the president pushing the envelope in an area where the executive branch (theoretically) has no authority in which to meddle. The Constitution is clear that states run elections, including those for federal office.
If GOP reaction on Capitol Hill is any indication, the idea seems as popular as term limits.
“No comment,” Sen. Tom Cotton deflected.
“I didn’t see the interview, so I’m not going to comment on it,” Sen Ted Cruz offered.
“It would require a constitutional amendment, is my reading of it,” Sen. Todd Young said, declining to elaborate on what he thought of the concept.
Sen. John Cornyn, who’s in a pitched primary battle in Texas, merely stared blankly at this columnist as the elevator doors closed.
It seems unlikely Congress would try to pass a law that constitutional experts say would be rejected by the courts. And don’t forget that the current system Trump is attacking also is the electoral system that declared members of Congress winners and sent them to Capitol Hill. Would they mess with a process that has benefitted them personally?
But Trump’s obsession with the 2020 election—and his unshakeable belief that it was “rigged” against him—can’t be overstated. More than five years later, he continues to claim he won the presidential race over Joe Biden despite numerous studies, court rulings, and former aides debunking his baseless allegations.
Last week, FBI agents seized ballots and other election materials related to the 2020 race from the Fulton County elections office in Georgia—a state that has been a frequent target of the president’s election denials. Adding to the extraordinary nature of the raid, Trump sent Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to help with the mission.
Republicans have long supported steps they say would root out potential fraud, such as voter ID and placing more guardrails on mail-in voting. It seems unlikely—for now—that they’ll climb aboard Trump’s campaign to push for federal takeover of elections.
“Not a good idea, because be careful what you wish for,” warned Sen. Lindsey Graham.
What does that mean?
“It means that [if Democrats win back power], they would control and do away with all voter-ID laws that are at the state level. They could go to ballot harvesting as national policy,” Graham said. “I always look and say: ‘Yeah, that helps me, but how could it hurt me?' It could be fatal to conservatism if liberals run the federal government and basically institute California policies.
“I like President Trump. I’d like to make elections better,” he continued. “But once you go down that road, they can go down that road, too.”
