Donald Trump's Election Agenda Sparks Stark Warning From Law Expert as Government Actions Pose Significant Voting Risk

UCLA law professor and election law expert Richard Hasen sounded the alarm on President Donald Trump’s election agenda, stating that he believes federal government actions pose a significant risk to the administration of free and fair elections.

Speaking with MS NOW host Jonathan Capehart, Hasen discussed concerns about efforts to change voting laws and federal influence over state-run election systems.

Hasen commented on the historical role of the federal government in voting rights and his view on current shifts in that role.

He expressed concern that certain actions could potentially impact public perception of election integrity and the ease of voter registration and voting.

Hasen's comments come amidst discussions of various federal actions related to election administration.

Trump refused to sign a bipartisan housing affordability bill unless the Senate passed the SAVE Act, tying housing relief to one of his top election priorities.

The bill, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, automatically became law without Trump’s signature because the POTUS didn’t veto the legislation within the Constitution's 10-day window.

On July 9, Trump removed the remaining leadership of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), effectively emptying the independent, bipartisan agency just months ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Hasen told Capehart, who was subbing in for Lawrence O’Donnell on the Friday, July 10 episode of The Last Word, that he believes that "the federal government is the greatest risk that this country faces to free and fair elections in 2026."

With the midterms just four months away, Hasen said, “Just like how Trump has limited the role of the cybersecurity agency, CISA, in helping state and local election officials, this is also limiting the ability of state and local election officials to lean on the strength of the federal government to ensure that we continue to have free and fair elections.”

When asked why Trump is so fixated on his SAVE Act, Hasen told Capeheart, “Well, one possibility is that he really believes that elections are being stolen — I can’t get into Donald Trump’s head. But I also think that maybe the end game here is he knows that there’s a very good chance that he’s going to lose control of one or both houses of Congress come next year and if he’s looking for a scapegoat, he can say, well, you know, ‘We could have saved the elections of Republicans would have just come through and passed this law that would have stopped massive voter fraud.’”

Hasen sounded the alarm, saying, “At best, what Donald Trump is doing is sowing doubts about the fairness and integrity of the election. At worst, he's trying to put a thumb on the scale and change the rules to make it harder for people to register and vote in this very important midterm election season that's coming up.”

Hasan pointed to Trump’s previous record with election interference as a worrisome sign for the midterms.

“I don't think there are going to be ICE agents at the polls, but I do worry in a close election about how he might try to mess with the tabulation of ballots and the certification of winners, which is something that he tried to do back in 2020 when he tried to steal the election from Joe Biden. Yeah, I remember that call to Georgia. All we need is 11,780 votes," Hasen recalled.

Former Trump White House attorney Ty Cobb agreed, warning that the octogenarian POTUS is "stacking every card in the deck that he can get his hands on" to influence the midterm elections.

Speaking on MS NOW, Cobb criticized the termination of Election Assistance Commission members as a move to control election referees. He alleged that Trump is deploying federal agencies and installing loyalists to contest results. Cobb expressed concern that these actions, which he described as forces already on the field, present a direct threat to election integrity.