February 3, 2026 / CBS News
Washington — President Trump on Monday urged Republicans to “nationalize” voting, repeating unfounded claims that noncitizens are voting in U.S. federal elections and calling for the party to take control of election administration in problematic states ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Speaking on a podcast with former FBI deputy director Dan Bongino, Trump said, “The Republicans should say, ‘we want to take over,’” and called for action in “at least 15 states,” accusing some states of being “so crooked” in how they count votes. At an Oval Office event the next day, surrounded by lawmakers and Cabinet members, he said he wants “elections [to] be honest” and suggested others should step in if a state can’t run an election fairly.
Constitution, limited presidential role
The Constitution’s Elections Clause gives state governments the primary authority to set rules and run federal elections, though Congress may pass certain laws affecting them. Legal experts say that framework leaves the president with virtually no role in administering elections.
David Becker, an election law contributor for CBS News and executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, told CBS News the Elections Clause was written to keep the executive branch out of election administration. When asked about those limits, Trump characterized states as “agents of the federal government” and argued for greater federal involvement. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president “believes in the United States Constitution” while also asserting there has been “a lot of fraud and irregularities.”
Claims about 2020 and noncitizen voting
Trump has continued to repeat allegations that the 2020 election was marred by widespread fraud and that Democrats have enabled undocumented immigrants to vote—claims for which courts, state officials and former Justice Department leaders found no evidence. Dozens of post‑2020 lawsuits filed by Trump and his allies were dismissed, and former Attorney General Bill Barr said the Justice Department did not uncover proof of widespread fraud.
Administration actions to expand federal influence
Despite constitutional limits, the Trump administration has pushed measures that would increase federal involvement or oversight. Last year the president signed an executive order targeting parts of election administration, including a requirement that voters provide documentary proof of citizenship to register. Several provisions of that order, including proof‑of‑citizenship rules, have been blocked by federal judges after legal challenges.
The Justice Department has also sought full voter-registration databases from nearly every state and the District of Columbia, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, and has sued about two dozen states and D.C. for refusing to hand over records containing addresses, birth dates and partial Social Security numbers.
Trump and other Republicans have encouraged state legislatures to redraw congressional maps in ways that could advantage their party. Texas enacted new maps aimed at securing more Republican seats, while California and other states have approved maps that change the partisan balance in different districts.
Fulton County search and related developments
Last week the FBI executed a search warrant at a Fulton County, Ga., elections office and seized ballots from the 2020 presidential election as part of investigations into election‑related matters. Trump has repeatedly maintained—without evidence—that the 2020 result in Georgia was “rigged.” On the podcast he hinted at developments in Georgia, saying “you’re going to see some interesting things come in.”
The FBI action drew attention after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was present at the scene; Gabbard said Trump asked her to attend, that she helped arrange a phone call between FBI agents in Atlanta and the president so he could “thank the agents personally,” and that he did not give directives or ask operational questions during the call.
Legislative proposals and administration messaging
Trump has backed the SAVE Act, a Republican-supported bill that would require in-person proof of citizenship for voter registration. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said the president’s calls to “take over” elections referred to legislative proposals such as the SAVE Act and measures to create a uniform photo ID standard, limit no‑excuse mail‑in voting and ban ballot harvesting.
Republican leaders push back
Not all GOP leaders embraced the idea of federalizing elections. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he supports photo ID requirements but opposes centralizing election administration, arguing that decentralized systems are harder to tamper with. “I’m a big believer in decentralized and distributing power, and I think it’s harder to hack 50 election systems than it is to hack one,” he said.
House Speaker Mike Johnson defended state-run elections and described Trump’s remarks as frustration with what he sees as poor administration in some Democratic-led states. “It’s a system that works well, so long as the states make it a priority to ensure the integrity of our elections,” Johnson said.
Patrick Maguire and Kaia Hubbard contributed to this report.