Donald Trump’s call for Republicans to “nationalize the elections” has triggered a political storm just months before the midterm vote that will determine control of both chambers of Congress.
Speaking on the podcast of former FBI deputy director Dan Bongino, the US president said: “Republicans have to nationalize the elections.” He went further, arguing that the party should seek to take control of election administration in “at least fifteen places.”
Trump also referenced the FBI raid in Fulton County, Georgia, saying that “you’re going to see some interesting things coming out of there.” The comment is notable because it came less than a week after federal agents conducted searches at election centers in the county and seized ballots and records from the 2020 presidential vote.
A series of legislative initiatives is now underway that aims to replace the decentralized vote collection and counting system with a unified mechanism under federal — and therefore governmental — control.
Legal confrontation
Last September, the US Department of Justice began requesting detailed voter rolls from state authorities. The practice directly conflicts with constitutional provisions assigning responsibility for election administration to the states. Of the 44 states that have received requests, eleven have complied, while 24 are engaged in legal battles with the department after refusing.
In March, an executive order tasked the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) with collecting documents proving voters’ citizenship. Courts in several states — including Massachusetts, Virginia and Washington — rejected the move. Twenty-two states formed a coalition and filed lawsuits seeking its cancellation.
The official justification behind these interventions remains Trump’s continued claims of fraud in the 2020 election, assertions he repeats without evidence. “Migrants were bought to vote illegally,” he said, warning that if they are not identified “the party will never win another election.”
According to a New York Times report, one day after the Georgia operation the president communicated with agents involved in the raid following an initiative by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who had met with FBI officials. The NYT described the contact — conducted outside normal law enforcement procedures — as a “new level of presidential intervention in the justice system.”
Data and forecasts
Why is Trump attempting to alter election rules so aggressively, ignoring opposition not only from Democrats but also from within his own party? Republican Senator John Thune has already expressed disagreement.
One explanation points to Trump’s temperament and his personal fixation on being recognized as the legitimate winner of the 2020 election. But that interpretation overlooks the political stakes of November’s midterms, which are shaping up as a difficult test for Republicans.
The party holds a narrow congressional majority and is coming off a string of negative results in key municipalities such as New York and Miami, and in states including Virginia and New Jersey.
The latest blow was Democrat Taylor Ramet’s victory in the Texas Senate, representing the 9th district — an area that gave Trump a 17-point advantage in the 2024 presidential race. Many analysts view the result as evidence that Democrats are capable of penetrating Trump’s base, largely by focusing on rising living costs.
“In a region where Trump leads by 17 points and Republicans are giving everything, we can win,” said Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin.
A growing number of conservative strategists and pollsters reach the same conclusion: fear of electoral losses is shaping White House calculations and motivating its actions ahead of the midterms.
