President Donald Trump announced plans for extensive travel to support Republican candidates ahead of the midterm elections. He also denied considering a draft executive order that would grant him broad powers over election administration, a move experts deem unconstitutional.
The president's campaign travel aims to influence the upcoming midterm elections, while the discussion around a potential executive order to seize control of election administration raises significant constitutional and legal questions about federal overreach and the integrity of the electoral process.
President Donald Trump announced plans for extensive travel in the month leading up to the midterm elections to campaign for congressional candidates and governors, including a stop in Alaska to support Senator Dan S. Sullivan.
Separately, Trump denied considering a draft executive order that would have granted him broad powers over election administration, including requiring hand-counting of ballots and voter identification. The 17-page proposal, which circulated among his allies, aimed to address election integrity issues by declaring a national emergency. Experts and legal scholars have stated that such an order would be unconstitutional, as the U.S. Constitution explicitly gives states the authority to administer elections.
Trump stated he was unaware of the draft order when questioned by PBS News. However, an attorney confirmed the document has been circulating among some supporters, asserting the president has the power to act in an emergency. Previous executive orders on elections issued by Trump have faced legal challenges and been blocked by federal courts.
Federal law mandates the general election date, and only Congress has the authority to change it. States manage the "Times, Places and Manner" of federal elections, and the president cannot legally nationalize or cancel elections.