Trump raises ‘nationalized voting’ idea in Bongino’s return podcast debut
What's the administration thinking here?
President Donald Trump floated the idea that Republicans could consider a more centralized role in administering elections, musing on Monday that the party should “nationalize the voting” as he argued that some states cannot be trusted to oversee elections fairly ahead of the midterm contests.
Trump made the remarks during an appearance on former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino’s show, which marked Bongino’s first broadcast since leaving the FBI and returning full time to conservative media.
Dan Bongino, then-FBI deputy director, speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The interview opened with light banter between the two men, with Trump acknowledging Bongino’s departure from federal law enforcement and praising the success of his media career.
“I was very unhappy when you left the FBI,” Trump told Bongino early in the conversation. “But I was very happy that your show was so, so good. So I’m OK with this — net neutral. I call it a net neutral.”
As the conversation turned to voting, Trump expressed frustration with Republicans, saying they have not been aggressive enough in pushing back against what he described as lax election rules and improper voting practices.
“Amazing that the Republicans aren’t tougher on it,” Trump said. “The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over. We should take over the voting in at least … five places.’ The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting. We have states that are so crooked.”
Donald Trump went on Dan Bongino’s show and said Republicans should nationalize elections across the country so they can take it over. We need to take him very seriously when he says things like this.
— Mike Nellis (@MikeNellis) February 2, 2026
Trump did not identify which states or jurisdictions he believes should be targeted, nor did he outline any specific legal or legislative pathway to accomplish such a shift. The Washington Examiner contacted the White House for comment.
Under the Constitution, the authority to set the “time, place, and manner” of elections rests primarily with the states, with Congress — not the president — having limited power to revise those rules. Legal experts have long noted that any attempt by the executive branch to unilaterally federalize election administration would face immediate constitutional challenges.
Trump also repeated his claim that he won the 2020 presidential election. …
What's the administration thinking here?
President Donald Trump floated the idea that Republicans could consider a more centralized role in administering elections, musing on Monday that the party should “nationalize the voting” as he argued that some states cannot be trusted to oversee elections fairly ahead of the midterm contests.
Trump made the remarks during an appearance on former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino’s show, which marked Bongino’s first broadcast since leaving the FBI and returning full time to conservative media.
Dan Bongino, then-FBI deputy director, speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The interview opened with light banter between the two men, with Trump acknowledging Bongino’s departure from federal law enforcement and praising the success of his media career.
“I was very unhappy when you left the FBI,” Trump told Bongino early in the conversation. “But I was very happy that your show was so, so good. So I’m OK with this — net neutral. I call it a net neutral.”
As the conversation turned to voting, Trump expressed frustration with Republicans, saying they have not been aggressive enough in pushing back against what he described as lax election rules and improper voting practices.
“Amazing that the Republicans aren’t tougher on it,” Trump said. “The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over. We should take over the voting in at least … five places.’ The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting. We have states that are so crooked.”
Donald Trump went on Dan Bongino’s show and said Republicans should nationalize elections across the country so they can take it over. We need to take him very seriously when he says things like this.
— Mike Nellis (@MikeNellis) February 2, 2026
Trump did not identify which states or jurisdictions he believes should be targeted, nor did he outline any specific legal or legislative pathway to accomplish such a shift. The Washington Examiner contacted the White House for comment.
Under the Constitution, the authority to set the “time, place, and manner” of elections rests primarily with the states, with Congress — not the president — having limited power to revise those rules. Legal experts have long noted that any attempt by the executive branch to unilaterally federalize election administration would face immediate constitutional challenges.
Trump also repeated his claim that he won the 2020 presidential election. …
Trump raises ‘nationalized voting’ idea in Bongino’s return podcast debut
What's the administration thinking here?
President Donald Trump floated the idea that Republicans could consider a more centralized role in administering elections, musing on Monday that the party should “nationalize the voting” as he argued that some states cannot be trusted to oversee elections fairly ahead of the midterm contests.
Trump made the remarks during an appearance on former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino’s show, which marked Bongino’s first broadcast since leaving the FBI and returning full time to conservative media.
Dan Bongino, then-FBI deputy director, speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The interview opened with light banter between the two men, with Trump acknowledging Bongino’s departure from federal law enforcement and praising the success of his media career.
“I was very unhappy when you left the FBI,” Trump told Bongino early in the conversation. “But I was very happy that your show was so, so good. So I’m OK with this — net neutral. I call it a net neutral.”
As the conversation turned to voting, Trump expressed frustration with Republicans, saying they have not been aggressive enough in pushing back against what he described as lax election rules and improper voting practices.
“Amazing that the Republicans aren’t tougher on it,” Trump said. “The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over. We should take over the voting in at least … five places.’ The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting. We have states that are so crooked.”
Donald Trump went on Dan Bongino’s show and said Republicans should nationalize elections across the country so they can take it over. We need to take him very seriously when he says things like this.
— Mike Nellis (@MikeNellis) February 2, 2026
Trump did not identify which states or jurisdictions he believes should be targeted, nor did he outline any specific legal or legislative pathway to accomplish such a shift. The Washington Examiner contacted the White House for comment.
Under the Constitution, the authority to set the “time, place, and manner” of elections rests primarily with the states, with Congress — not the president — having limited power to revise those rules. Legal experts have long noted that any attempt by the executive branch to unilaterally federalize election administration would face immediate constitutional challenges.
Trump also repeated his claim that he won the 2020 presidential election. …
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