Daily Beast columnist David Rothkopf said Donald Trump is trying to undermine the integrity of the voting process ahead of the November midterm elections because he knows Republicans won’t do well.
Rothkopf told The Daily Beast Podcast The Trump administration’s actions and the president’s words should be taken “very seriously.”
“The reality is, they realize they’re going to fail, so they’re using every tool they can think of to measure it, right?” Rothkopf told host Joanna Coles.
Rothkopf cited two examples: the FBI’s controversial raid on election offices in Fulton County, Georgia, to obtain 2020 voter rolls and other materials; and Attorney General Pam Bondi’s proposal to scale back Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minneapolis only if Gov. Tim Walz provides voters with unredacted personal data.
“Why do they want the voter rolls? So they can disqualify people. Why do they want to pursue conspiracy theories about Fulton County? So they can say, ‘Well, we need to impound these machines. There’s an underlying problem,'” he said. “You’ll never see the vote again. You’ll never see what the outcome is.”
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Rothkopf also cited Republican-friendly redistricting efforts that began in Texas and were followed by other red-leaning states such as Florida, Missouri, Ohio and North Carolina. He also mentioned the Save America Act. The bill, which has passed the House, would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote and a government-issued photo ID to vote in federal elections. It would also limit mail-in voting and end ballot collection. Critics argue that eligible voters without a passport or birth certificate will be disenfranchised.
Additionally, Trump’s Justice Department has been seeking unredacted copies of voter registration databases, which critics see as a federal intrusion into state affairs.
Trump’s comments were also shocking. The president not only called on Republicans to “nationalize the vote,” but also proposed canceling the midterm elections.
Steve Bannon, a staunch supporter of MAGA, said Trump is bent on proving the 2020 election victory was stolen from him to prevent Democratic victories in 2026 and 2028.
Rothkopf said that if any of Trump’s actions against the 2026 midterm elections end up being prosecuted, and if Republicans are able to “put their thumb on the scale” again in 2028, Trump will support a successor who will “cover up his mistakes.” In this case, the tickets would be Bundy and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.
Rothkopf said Bundy “completely devalued himself – turning the entire Department of Justice into the Department of Obstruction and Punishment.” “And in [Trump’s] Book, that’s the winner. “
In a statement to The Daily Beast, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson reiterated the administration’s position that “anything said on The Daily Beast podcast amounts to screaming into the void. No one is listening to Trump Derangement Syndrome therapy sessions.”
Jackson added that Trump is “committed to ensuring that Americans have confidence in the administration of elections, and that includes fully accurate and up-to-date voter rolls that are free of errors and free of illegally registered non-citizen voters.” “The President also urges Congress to pass the SAVE Act and other legislative proposals to establish uniform photo ID standards for voting, ban unexcused mail-in voting, and end the practice of ballot harvesting to ensure the safety and security of our elections.”
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