Trump vows to defy Congress if voting laws unchanged for midterms
President Donald Trump argued Friday that he would push to change voter ID laws ahead of the midterm elections — regardless of congressional approval.
Trump has long threatened that elections should have stricter voter ID laws. He has said that such measures are necessary to prevent voter fraud and ensure election integrity, despite widespread evidence showing that voter fraud is extremely rare in U.S. elections.
His push for voter ID requirements and other voting restrictions has become a central issue in midterm campaigns, with Republicans generally supporting such measures while Democrats argue they disproportionately suppress voter turnout among minority communities and other key Democratic constituencies.
Trump wrote the following on his Truth Social platform:
"The Democrats refuse to vote for Voter I.D., or Citizenship. The reason is very simple — They want to continue to cheat in Elections. This was not what our Founders desired. I have searched the depths of Legal Arguments not yet articulated or vetted on this subject, and will be presenting an irrefutable one in the very near future. There will be Voter I.D. for the Midterm Elections, whether approved by Congress or not! Also, the People of our Country are insisting on Citizenship, and No Mail-In Ballots, with exceptions for Military, Disability, Illness, or Travel."
Trump backs down on dispute with ally while threatening to take another land mass by force
President Donald Trump walked back his criticism of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's agreement to transfer ownership of a strategically located island to Mauritius.
The 79-year-old president has complained that the United Kingdom plans to decolonize the Chagos Islands, including the site of the U.S. military base on Diego Garcia, but he said Starmer had reassured him on the transfer of sovereignty of the Indian Ocean archipelago.
"I have had very productive discussions with Prime Minister Keir Starmer about the Island of Diego Garcia," Trump posted on Truth Social. "It is the site of a major U.S. Military Base, strategically situated in the middle of the Indian Ocean and, therefore, of great importance to the National Security of the United States."
"I understand that the deal Prime Minister Starmer has made, according to many, the best he could make," he added. "However, if the lease deal, sometime in the future, ever falls apart, or anyone threatens or endangers U.S. operations and forces at our Base, I retain the right to Militarily secure and reinforce the American presence in Diego Garcia."
Trump vowed to keep the base at Diego Garcia no matter what Mauritius might decide in the future.
"Let it be known that I will never allow our presence on a Base as important as this to ever be undermined or threatened by fake claims or environmental nonsense," he posted. "Thank you for your attention to this matter! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP."
