트럼프 “더 이상한 일도 일어나”…‘선거 비상사태’ 선포 카드 열어둬

Donald Trump, the U.S. President, has not ruled out the option of declaring a National Emergency to change the election system ahead of the upcoming midterm elections in November. In a realAmericanRadio interview, Wayne Allyn Root, the host, suggested that if Congress fails to process the "SAVE America Act," the President would have the authority to declare a National Emergency regarding the elections.

If a National Emergency is declared, "photographs, citizenship documents, and mail-in voting restrictions can be secured," Root claimed. As the interview continued, President Trump interjected, saying, "I'll just say that something strange has happened," and then declared, "I'll go no further." However, CNN notes that Trump may have explicitly excluded extreme scenarios to avoid overinterpretation.

The SAVE America Act, which Trump strongly championed, requires citizens to prove their U.S. citizenship documents when registering to vote, and to present a photo ID during voting. The bill passed the House in February but stalled in the Senate. While Republicans hold 53 seats in the Senate, they need 60 votes to end a filibuster to pass the bill.

Trump pressured the Senate to pass the bill but the GOP leadership opposed it. The Senate adjourned last summer. Republicans plan to try again after they return in a month, this time by incorporating some of the bill's provisions into a different spending bill. The authority to determine the "time, place, and method" of federal elections is constitutionally based on states, and the federal government's power to change it is granted to Congress.

Attempts by the Trump administration to intervene in election rules through a presidential proclamation have repeatedly been blocked by courts. Despite these setbacks, Trump has repeatedly stated his intention for the federal government to play a more direct role in managing the elections.