Trump turns to intimidation after his legal assault on elections fails

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the signing ceremony for an executive order on mail ballots, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., March 31, 2026. REUTERS Evan Vucci

Despite months of aggressive legal action, social media ranting, and pressure on Republican lawmakers, President Donald Trump has accomplished remarkably little in his quest to seize control over U.S. elections, according to a new report from States Newsroom. Six months before the November midterms, his administration's sweeping campaign to restrict voting has been stymied by courts, rebuffed by state officials, and opposed by key Republican senators.

"There is a vast chasm between wanting to do something and trying to do something and actually successfully doing it," said David Becker, executive director of the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation & Research.

Trump's legislative centerpiece, the SAVE America Act, remains dead in the water despite passing the House in February. The bill, which would require voters to prove citizenship and impose strict ID requirements, failed a Senate vote 48-50 in April when Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) attempted to attach it to a budget measure. Federal courts have already blocked a similar executive order Trump signed last year attempting the same proof-of-citizenship requirement unilaterally.

The Justice Department's litigation strategy has been equally unsuccessful. Despite filing 30 lawsuits demanding that states and D.C. turn over sensitive voter data, the DOJ hasn't secured a single court victory. Only 13 Republican states have voluntarily provided the information. A bipartisan coalition of state secretaries of state is actively fighting the administration in court.

An executive order Trump signed in March limiting mail-in voting now faces five federal lawsuits. Election law experts call the directive illegal and unconstitutional. Federal agencies haven't even begun finalizing implementation plans—a telling sign of the legal jeopardy surrounding the order.

What Trump hasn't accomplished legislatively, he's pursuing through intimidation. The FBI seized ballots from Fulton County, Georgia in January 2026, and the Department of Justice subsequently subpoenaed the names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses of election workers and poll volunteers who worked the 2020 election. Similar DOJ actions are targeting election officials in Arizona, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

Fulton County Board of Commissioners Chair Robb Pitts responded bluntly: "This whole thing is designed to harass, intimidate and chill participation in our election process. It's not going to work, it's not going to happen."

A pro-democracy analysis released by Issue One likened America's election system to a resilient patient fighting a virus. The Trump administration, it concluded, acts as that virus—attacking three critical safeguards: Congress, internal checks within the executive branch, and the information ecosystem.

Democratic states are mounting counteroffensives. New Mexico passed legislation making it a felony to obstruct polling places and prohibiting military or armed federal personnel from voting locations. Connecticut went further, establishing 250-foot buffer zones around election sites where federal agents, including immigration officers, cannot conduct warrantless arrests, searches, or use of force.

When asked directly whether troops could be deployed to polls, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth deflected: "It's yet another gotcha hypothetical." Such evasions have only intensified state-level concerns.

Election experts warn that Trump could escalate efforts as the midterms approach, particularly if Republican losses appear likely. The combination of failed legislation, blocked executive orders, and unsuccessful lawsuits hasn't deterred the administration—it's merely forced it toward increasingly brazen tactics.

Yet the system, while under unprecedented strain, continues to hold. Courts remain willing to block overreach. State officials resist federal pressure. Republican senators, despite party pressure, have blocked Trump's most radical proposals.

As Connecticut state Rep. Matt Blumenthal said: "I have great confidence that the American people will stand up against it." For now, that confidence appears warranted—but with six months until the midterms, and a president unwilling to accept electoral outcomes, that confidence will be tested repeatedly.

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