Five ways Trump could use his primetime speech to undermine our elections

Ahead of President Donald Trump's primetime address, election law experts warned about the ways he might use the moment to expand federal power over voting.

Since returning to office, Trump has tried to expand presidential control over elections, pressured Congress to enact the sweeping anti-voting SAVE America Act and directed federal agencies to investigate state and local election officials. Each step, analysts said, fit a pattern of moving authority toward the White House.

One concern was the framing itself. By presenting theoretical vulnerabilities, attempted intrusions and altered votes as parts of the same threat, he could falsely frame state-run elections as a national security emergency requiring federal intervention. That framing, experts warned, would be used to justify actions the president otherwise has no authority to take.

The legal reality is settled. The Constitution assigns states primary responsibility for administering congressional elections while allowing Congress to alter those rules. It does not give the president authority to take over the process. Courts have repeatedly cited that division of power in blocking earlier orders.