{"id":2562503,"date":"2026-02-02T16:34:02","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T21:34:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-raises-nationalized-voting-idea-during-bonginos-podcast-return\/"},"modified":"2026-02-02T16:39:47","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T21:39:47","slug":"trump-raises-nationalized-voting-idea-during-bonginos-podcast-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-raises-nationalized-voting-idea-during-bonginos-podcast-return\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump raises &#8216;nationalized voting&#8217; idea during Bongino&#8217;s podcast return"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-raises-nationalized-voting-idea-during-bonginos-podcast-return%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2562503&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Former President Donald Trump floated the idea that republicans could play a more centralized role in election management, suggesting they should \u201cnationalize the voting\u201d in at least a few states ahead of midterm contests, though he did not name specific states or outline a legal pathway.<\/p>\n<p>The remarks came during an appearance on Dan Bongino\u2019s return to broadcasting, where Trump criticized Republicans for not pushing back harder against what he called lax election rules and improper voting practices. He offered no concrete plan or states to target beyond the broad suggestion to nationalize voting.<\/p>\n<p>A White house spokesperson said Trump \u201ccares deeply about the safety and security of our election,\u201d pointing to other reforms like the SAVE Act. Legal experts note that election administration is constitutionally reserved to the states, and any unilateral federalization would face constitutional challenges; a formal path to federalizing elections remains unclear.<\/p>\n<p>The article situates the discussion amid broader election-security tensions: the Justice Department has sued multiple states for voter-data access, there was an FBI raid at a Fulton County (Georgia) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/far-left-georgia-judge-says-its-constitutional-to-keep-voter-drop-boxes-open-at-all-hours-throws-out-gop-case\/\" title=\"Far Left Georgia Judge Says It\u2019s Constitutional to Keep Voter Drop Boxes Open At All Hours \u2013 Throws Out GOP Case\">county election office<\/a>, and references to Tulsi Gabbard\u2019s involvement in that incident appear in the report. Trump reiterated his claim that he won the 2020 election,a claim long disputed by courts and officials.<\/p>\n<p>The broadcast drew a large audience on Rumble (nearly 200,000 live viewers) but experienced brief technical issues. The piece also notes ongoing political fights on Capitol Hill, including discussions of proof-of-citizenship requirements for federal voting and potential impacts on a pending funding bill and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nancy-pelosi-blames-president-trump-climate-change-for-migrant-surge\/\" title=\"Nancy Pelosi blames President Trump, \u2018climate change\u2019 for migrant surge\">partial government shutdown<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Trump raises &lsquo;nationalized voting&rsquo; idea in Bongino&rsquo;s return podcast debut<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2450444\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>President&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a>&nbsp;floated the idea that <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/republican-party\/\">Republicans<\/a> could consider a more centralized role in administering elections, musing on Monday that the party should &ldquo;nationalize the voting&rdquo; as he argued that some states cannot be trusted to oversee elections fairly ahead of the midterm contests.<\/p>\n<p>Trump made the remarks during an appearance on former FBI Deputy Director <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/dan-bongino\/\">Dan Bongino<\/a>&rsquo;s show, which marked Bongino&rsquo;s first broadcast since leaving the FBI and returning full time to conservative media.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4443220\/kid-rock-headlining-turning-point-usa-alternative-super-bowl-halftime-show\/\">Kid Rock headlining Turning Point USA&#8217;s alternative Super Bowl halftime show<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4442921\/melania-documentary-reception-box-office-disconnect-critics-audiences\/\">Melania documentary reception and box office reflects &#8216;disconnect&#8217; of critics and audiences: Joe Concha<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4442663\/jelly-roll-authentic-praise-jesus-grammys-contrasts-other-celebrities-joe-concha\/\">Jelly Roll&#8217;s &#8216;authentic&#8217; praise of Jesus at Grammys contrasts other celebrities: Joe Concha<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dan Bongino, then-FBI deputy director, speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Alex Brandon)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The interview opened with light banter between the two men, with Trump acknowledging Bongino&rsquo;s departure from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/d-c-mayor-congress-must-open-a-probe-into-security-failures-at-u-s-capitol\/\" title=\"D.C. Mayor: Congress must open a probe into ... failures at U.S. Capitol\">federal law enforcement<\/a> and praising the success of his media career.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I was very unhappy when you left the FBI,&rdquo; Trump told Bongino early in the conversation. &ldquo;But I was very happy that your show was so, so good. So I&rsquo;m OK with this &mdash; net neutral. I call it a net neutral.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>As the conversation turned to voting, Trump expressed frustration with Republicans, saying they have not been aggressive enough in pushing back against what he described as lax election rules and improper voting practices.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Amazing that the Republicans aren&rsquo;t tougher on it,&rdquo; Trump said. &ldquo;The Republicans should say, &lsquo;We want to take over. We should take over the voting in at least &hellip; five places.&rsquo; The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting. We have states that are so crooked.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-media-max-width=\"560\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Donald Trump went on Dan Bongino&rsquo;s show and said Republicans should nationalize elections across the country so they can take it over. We need to take him very seriously when he says things like this. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/RndIq47CCZ\">pic.twitter.com\/RndIq47CCZ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Mike Nellis (@MikeNellis) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MikeNellis\/status\/2018389497193312757?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 2, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>    <\/p>\n<p>Trump did not identify which states or jurisdictions he believes should be targeted, nor did he outline any specific legal or legislative pathway to accomplish such a shift.<\/p>\n<p>In a statement to The <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said Trump &ldquo;cares deeply about the safety and security of our election,&rdquo; pointing to his support for Congress to pass the SAVE Act and other legislation reforms that would impose requirements including no-excuse mail-in voting, photo ID rules, and ballot harvesting practices. <\/p>\n<p>The president&rsquo;s concerns come as <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncsl.org\/elections-and-campaigns\/voter-id\">more than a dozen states<\/a> currently do not require photo ID for voting, and many others continue to not maintain up-to-date voter rolls or are unwilling to share election records. As it stands, around <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thecentersquare.com\/national\/article_e09e7f48-2677-428b-98fb-ab159f9bc0ac.html\">26 states have cooperated<\/a> with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to ensure only legal citizens are voting in their respective elections.<\/p>\n<p>Any serious gambit to federalize elections would likely face an uphill battle. The Constitution vests the authority to set the &ldquo;time, place, and manner&rdquo; of elections rests primarily with the states, with Congress &mdash; not the president &mdash; having limited power to revise those rules. Legal experts have long noted that any attempt by the executive branch to unilaterally federalize election administration would face immediate constitutional challenges.<\/p>\n<p>Trump also repeated his claim that he won the 2020 presidential election. After losing that race to former President Joe Biden, Trump and his <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >allies pursued numerous legal challenges alleging widespread fraud<\/a> and irregularities, but none succeeded.<\/p>\n<p>The comments come as the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-justice\/\">Justice Department<\/a> has sued more than 20 states for access to voter data, part of a broader push that has heightened tensions between federal officials and state election authorities. That effort drew renewed attention last week after an <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4441397\/how-fulton-countys-election-wars-escalated-into-an-fbi-raid\/\">FBI search at a Georgia county election office<\/a>, a move that alarmed Democrats and local officials who warned it could signal a deeper federal-state clash over election oversight. Director of National Intelligence&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tulsi-gabbard\/\">Tulsi Gabbard<\/a>&nbsp;participated in the Fulton County raid.<\/p>\n<p>Trump has repeatedly warned that Democrats could seek to impeach him again if they regain control of the House, noting that the president&rsquo;s party has historically lost seats during midterm elections. Democrats reclaimed the House in 2018 during Trump&rsquo;s first term, a loss that helped fuel multiple investigations and impeachment proceedings against him.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/4413620\/fbi-names-agent-dan-bongino-replacement-deputy-director\/\">FBI NAMES LONGTIME AGENT AS DAN BONGINO&rsquo;S REPLACEMENT FOR DEPUTY DIRECTOR<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The election debate is also intersecting with a broader fight on Capitol Hill over a partial government shutdown affecting only the Pentagon, State Department, and the Department of Homeland Security. A group of House conservatives has pushed to include a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4438020\/chuck-schumer-lays-ice-demands-avoid-government-shutdown\/\">proof-of-citizenship requirement<\/a> for registering to vote in federal elections as part of a must-pass funding bill. Senate Democratic leader&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/chuck-schumer\/\">Chuck Schumer<\/a> (D-NY)&nbsp;has said Democrats would not accept the provision, warning that it could prolong a shutdown if Republicans insist on it.<\/p>\n<p>Bongino&rsquo;s return to broadcasting added another layer of attention to the interview. The show streamed on&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/rumble\/\">Rumble<\/a>&nbsp;and drew nearly 200,000 live viewers, according to platform metrics. The broadcast experienced brief technical problems, including audio problems and intermittent feed lag, before stabilizing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump calls for nationalizing voting on Bongino show<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2562504,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AP26030037625428.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[5458,72643,72644,5894,3634],"class_list":["post-2562503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-bongino","tag-nationalized-voting","tag-podcast-return-2","tag-politics","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AP26030037625428.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2562503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2562503"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2562503\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2562508,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2562503\/revisions\/2562508"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2562504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2562503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2562503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2562503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}