Trump allies call for martial law if Republicans lose midterms
Allies of US President Donald Trump have called for martial law to be imposed if Republicans lose November’s midterm elections, citing unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud.
The calls were made during a September 30 video conference hosted by the Precinct Project & Election Integrity, a forum that brings together figures from the Make America Great Again (Maga) movement.
Participants alleged that the November elections could be compromised, particularly through postal voting, but offered no evidence to substantiate their claims, the Telegraph said in a report.
Peter Ticktin, a lawyer and childhood friend of Trump, argued that the president should not accept a Democratic victory if Republicans lose control of Congress.
He alleged that voters’ addresses were being changed on mail-in ballots to facilitate large-scale election fraud and invalidate legitimate votes. No evidence was presented to support the allegations.
“If the Democrats are on the way to taking over the country through another rigged election,” martial law would be necessary, Ticktin said during the call.
He argued that Trump would be unwilling to hand over power if Democrats secured enough seats in the Senate, suggesting that extraordinary measures would be required to investigate alleged electoral misconduct.
Speaking later to Axios, Ticktin said the military might need to take control of ballots and election equipment to establish whether the election had been compromised.
“They’ll probably need to be commandeering ballots and election equipment to make sure that we can get to the bottom of it before anything further occurs,” he said.
The remarks have revived concerns over efforts to challenge election results and the potential for political interference in the electoral process.
They also echo the events of January 6, 2021, when thousands of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol after the president repeatedly made false claims that the 2020 election had been stolen.
Trump has continued to promote allegations of electoral fraud despite a lack of evidence supporting claims that widespread irregularities changed the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
Gregory Stenstrom, who testified about alleged voting irregularities in Pennsylvania following that election, also called for action during the September 30 conference.
He said the November election should be paused over security concerns.
Stenstrom further suggested that Trump could invoke the National Emergencies Act to compel states to change their election procedures.
Republicans face mounting electoral pressure
The calls for extraordinary intervention come as Republicans face growing concerns about their prospects in the November midterms, which will determine control of Congress.
Democrats have significantly increased their fundraising in several key congressional races, according to recent campaign finance filings, despite billionaire Elon Musk’s substantial financial backing for Republican political causes.
Questions surrounding the integrity of the 2020 election have also persisted within parts of the Trump administration.
Heather Honey, who has challenged the 2020 election results in Pennsylvania and Arizona, serves as deputy assistant secretary for election integrity at the Department of Homeland Security and as a senior adviser to the director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The White House has defended the administration’s approach to election security, rejecting suggestions that its efforts undermine democratic processes.
A White House spokesman said Trump had “done more than any other President to ensure we have free and fair elections”.
The spokesman also accused Democrats and sections of the media of dismissing concerns about electoral fraud, arguing that measures such as voter identification requirements and citizenship verification were necessary to protect the integrity of elections.
The administration, the spokesman added, was taking steps to strengthen election infrastructure, prosecute election-related crimes and protect voters from fraud and coercion.
The US Department of Justice has sent a memorandum to all 50 states and Washington, DC, concerning compliance with federal election requirements. About 1,000 election monitors are also expected to be deployed to polling locations across the country on election day, according to The Telegraph.
Efforts were made to contact Ticktin and Stenstrom for comment.