President Donald Trump is scheduled to deliver a primetime national address on Thursday at 9 p.m. ET, focusing on unsubstantiated claims of election fraud and proposals to overhaul U.S. voting procedures. The speech marks his first formal address since early April and comes as his party faces headwinds ahead of the midterm elections.
A familiar set of grievances
Trump has long asserted that the 2020 presidential election was "rigged" and "stolen" from him, despite no credible evidence supporting that claim. Administration officials told MS NOW that the president is expected to repeat those false assertions while also alleging that foreign adversaries, including China, have engaged in election interference. Trump has also pointed to recent contests, such as the Los Angeles mayoral primary, as examples of what he calls a "crooked" system.
The president has made passage of the SAVE America Act his top legislative priority. The bill would require photo identification to vote and proof of citizenship to register, provisions that opponents argue would disenfranchise low-income and minority voters. Federal law already mandates citizenship for voting, and instances of noncitizen voting are extremely rare. Trump has refused to sign other bills until the measure reaches his desk, though it lacks the votes to clear Congress.
Broader efforts to reshape elections
Beyond the speech, Trump and his allies have pursued multiple avenues to alter election administration. The Department of Justice has filed lawsuits in several states seeking detailed voter registration data, claiming the information is needed to enforce federal election laws. More than a dozen such cases have been dismissed by federal judges. In late January, an FBI raid targeted a Georgia election office that was central to Trump's post-2020 efforts to overturn the state's results. Trump's then-director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, was spotted at the raid.
Trump has also used his pardon power to absolve virtually all defendants involved in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, when a mob of his supporters stormed Congress to disrupt the certification of Biden's victory. The president's acting director of national intelligence, Bill Pulte — a loyalist expected to join Trump for the address — now oversees intelligence agencies that previously debunked claims of widespread fraud.
Political stakes and midterm outlook
The address comes as Republicans aim to retain control of the House and Senate in the midterms, but face historical headwinds. The party holding the White House typically loses seats in midterm elections, and polls show public dissatisfaction with the economy, the ongoing Iran war, and Trump's performance. Democrats are favored to retake the House, and the president's focus on election grievances risks alienating moderate voters, analysts say. Trump, however, has framed the speech as a critical moment, telling reporters Tuesday, "Without free and fair elections, you don't have a country."