President Trump calls on Republicans to ‘nationalize’ elections on podcast
President Donald Trump appeared on The Dan Bongino Show and called on Republicans to take control of elections from each state.
Donald Trump has once again shaken one of the pillars of American democracy: election administration. More than five years after losing the White House to Joe Biden, the president has called on Republicans to “nationalize” the election process, alleging without evidence that there was massive fraud in 2020.
This approach, taken on a high-profile conservative podcast, revives deep debate about the Constitution and raises important questions for millions of voters. That’s what it means to have federal control over elections. How many places is President Trump targeting? And what does the Constitution actually say?
How many electoral jurisdictions does President Trump want to “take over”?
Trump argued that Republicans should lead the vote in “at least … as many as 15 places,” but he did not say whether he meant states, counties or large voting jurisdictions. He made the comments in an interview with Dan Bongino, who resumed his podcast on February 2 after resigning in January as FBI deputy director during the Trump administration.
The numbers were inaccurate, but the message was clear. President Trump has called for direct federal control of the electoral process in areas he considers “corrupt,” a claim he has repeated since 2020 without judicial backing or verifiable evidence.
For voters in swing states in particular, these statements are important because they point to the potential for political pressure to change the way elections are administered, which have historically operated at the state and local level.
Why does the Constitution restrict federal elections?
The U.S. Constitution provides that the states have primary authority to determine the “time, place, and manner” of federal elections. It also gives Congress the power to “make or change” these rules, a delicate balance that has defined electoral systems for more than two centuries.
Constitutional experts often point out that this framework prevents the executive branch, including the president, from directly administering state elections. Any sweeping changes would require Congressional action and would almost certainly face immediate legal challenges.
In practical terms, this means that what President Trump calls the “nationalization” of voting cannot be accomplished by statute or partisan will, but only through a complex legislative process and judicial oversight.
What really happened at the Georgia election center investigated by the FBI?
President Trump’s remarks came after the FBI executed a search warrant on January 28 at an election center in Fulton County, metropolitan Atlanta. The investigation relates to Georgia’s 2020 election process, which Biden won and which Trump falsely claimed was “stolen” from Biden.
So far, authorities have not publicly announced that they have found evidence of election fraud. Trump claimed that investigators would now have access to the ballots through a court order and that “we’re going to find out some interesting things,” but he offered no evidence or verifiable details.
According to Reuters, President Trump spoke by phone with some FBI agents the day after the raid, and the call was facilitated by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. The FBI has not publicly confirmed any findings supporting the former president’s claims.
What can voters do and what happens next?
For the Spanish-speaking community in the United States, verified information is key. Despite unsubstantiated accusations that immigrants voted illegally, elections continue to be controlled by states and counties, and only U.S. citizens can legally vote in federal and state elections.
Citizen service organizations such as Voto Latino recommend consulting your state’s official sources, your secretary of state’s office, and your local elections board to learn how your vote will be protected. It’s also important to verify information before sharing and understand that courts have dismissed dozens of lawsuits related to 2020 election fraud.
As a new election cycle approaches, the debate over who controls elections will return to the forefront.
Contributed by: USA TODAY
Boris Q’va is a national Spanish language trends news reporter for Connect/USA TODAY Network. You can follow him on X as @ByBorisQva or write to him at BBalsindesUrquiola@gannett.com.
