Trump’s Effort to Steal the Midterms Is Getting Serious
Anti-voting activists are circulating an unconstitutional draft executive order that they say could allow Donald Trump to take control of the nation’s election systems ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
The 17-page order, titled “Establishing Security, Integrity, and Transparency for United States Elections with Protections Against Foreign Interference,” was originally drafted in April 2025. It argues that Trump could declare a national emergency to circumvent “threats” to national security posed by the U.S. election process.
The speech appears to hinge on a new element of the MAGA conspiracy for the 2020 presidential election, blaming China for alleged election interference.
The party and its leaders have previously baselessly attacked mail-in voting and accused the nation’s largest election software companies — Smartmatic and Dominion — of rigging their machines to help President Joe Biden. Both companies sued the media entities and Trump allies who had touted the completely debunked conspiracy, winning huge financial settlements once it became clear there was no material to fuel the false claims.
“There is now clear and convincing evidence from trials and forensic analysis that these threats have not abated but have instead intensified,” the order states. “Individuals located, in whole or in part, outside the United States, and assisted by certain domestic co-conspirators, exploited unmitigated vulnerabilities by gaining unauthorized remote access to election equipment and associated infrastructure, despite assertions by some vendors, election officials, and media that this is not possible. »
The order further attributes “manipulation of tabulated results,” “casting of illegitimate ballots,” and “registration of ineligible voters” to the creation of the proposed executive order, arguing that the alleged violations pose “an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.”
This, according to the memo, apparently constitutes sufficient justification to interfere with the country’s elections, until states comply with a broad list of requirements, including requiring all potential voters to provide proof of “identity, U.S. citizenship, and current permanent residence.”
Asked whether he would follow through on MAGA’s proposed efforts, Trump asked reporters Friday, “Who told you that?”
“No,” Trump continued, emphasizing that he was not considering the idea. “I’ve never heard of it.”
