President Donald Trump alleged on Sunday that vote rigging is undermining the integrity of U.S. elections, writing on Truth Social that American elections were “corrupt” — only weeks before the November midterms, which polling suggests could deliver a punishing result for his party.
The comments are the latest escalation in a months-long campaign by the president to cast doubt on the electoral process. Trump has repeatedly claimed that elections are vulnerable to fraud and has pressed Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, strict voter-identification legislation that would give the federal government greater control over how states run elections.
Democrats say the rhetoric is designed to set the stage for challenging the results if Republicans lose control of Congress. “Rather than pivot his policies, he is working to rig the midterms before a single vote has even been cast. We won’t let him,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement following the president's earlier primetime address on election security.
Voting-rights advocates have pushed back hard. Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, who oversees elections in his state, said the biggest threat to American elections is the stream of false claims coming from the White House. The administration's pressure campaign on Congress shows no sign of easing as Election Day approaches.
