President Donald Trump said Tuesday that “stranger things have happened” when asked whether he could declare a national security emergency for elections ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, as reported [1] by Breitbart.
The remark came during an interview that aired on Real America Voice’s America Speaks, where host Wayne Allyn Root raised the possibility of using a national emergency declaration to impose voter identification requirements at polling places.
Root argued that the president could declare a national security emergency if Congress fails to pass the SAVE America Act.
He cited the Supreme Court’s 1983 ruling in Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Chadha during his explanation.
“Because it’s so hard to get the Senate to do anything— now they’re on recess; they don’t get anything done—if they never get the Save America Act done, you have the right to declare a national security emergency for elections. And the Supreme Court ruled in 1983 under Reagan, INS versus Chadha, that if you declare a national security emergency as the president of the United States, they can’t challenge it. It can only be overturned by a two-thirds vote of both houses of Congress. So if you do this in the next month, we will get photo ID, proof of citizenship and a limit to mail-in ballots.”
Trump offered a short response to the proposal.
“Let me just say that stranger things have happened, okay? I’ll leave it at that,” he said.
The exchange comes after the U.S. Senate failed to pass the SAVE America Act before lawmakers left Washington for the August recess. The legislation faces difficult prospects when the Senate returns.
The SAVE America Act would establish voter identification requirements, require proof of citizenship when registering to vote and end universal mail-in ballots, with some exceptions.
The legislation would also codify several measures Trump has pursued through executive action, including restrictions involving medical procedures for minors and rules concerning participation in women’s sports.
The Senate’s legislative rules present another obstacle. Sixty votes are needed to advance the legislation, meaning seven Democrats would need to support the measure if every Republican senator voted for it.
Trump called on Senate Republicans late last month to remain in session and terminate the filibuster so the bill could move forward. The Senate did not take up that proposal before beginning its August recess.
The debate over the SAVE America Act comes as election-related voting rules remain a major issue heading into the 2026 midterm elections.
Republicans have emphasized voter identification and citizenship verification, while Democrats have generally opposed federal measures they argue could restrict access to voting.
For now, Trump has not announced that he will declare a national security emergency for the midterm elections.
His response to Root’s proposal leaves the possibility open without committing the administration to such a move.
With the Senate away from Washington and the SAVE America Act stalled, the president’s brief answer is likely to keep the question alive: whether the administration will pursue an executive route if Congress does not deliver the election reforms Trump has requested.
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