COLUMN: Trump Wants to Steal the 2026 Election, and No One Is Stopping Him

Federal Agents to Intimidate Voters

Steve Bannon, Trump’s former advisor and an influential figure in the administration, was even more explicit. On February 4, on his War Room podcast, he stated: “We’re going to have ICE surround the polling stations in November.” ICE is the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, known for its brutal methods and heavy-handed arrests. Bannon was addressing the Democrats: “We’re not going to sit back and let you steal the country again. You can whine and scream all you want, but we will never again allow an election to be stolen.”

A Strategy of Mass Intimidation

The idea is simple and terrifying. Deploy ICE and Border Patrol agents around polling places in Democratic neighborhoods, particularly in Latino communities. These agencies have a well-documented history of arresting U.S. citizens mistaken for undocumented immigrants. On Election Day, their presence would have a massive deterrent effect. People would be afraid to vote—afraid of being arrested, interrogated, or deported. It doesn’t matter whether they’re U.S. citizens; fear is enough. And that’s exactly what Trump and Bannon are after.

I wonder when we’re going to stop pretending this is normal. When are we going to call it what it is: fascism. Electoral intimidation. Voter suppression. Bannon isn’t even hiding it anymore. He openly says they’re going to send federal agents to “surround” polling places. And the White House refuses to guarantee that this won’t happen. They don’t say, “No, of course not—that’s illegal.” They say, “No formal plans at this time.” For now.

A Decentralized System to Protect Democracy

The U.S. Constitution entrusts the organization and administration of elections to the states, not to the federal government. This is a fundamental principle of American democracy. This decentralization makes large-scale election manipulation extremely difficult. One would have to rig elections in dozens of states simultaneously, each with its own laws, its own systems, and its own election officials. It is precisely for this reason that Trump’s allegations of widespread fraud in 2020 never held water.

Trump wants to destroy this system

But Trump wants to change that. He wants the federal government—that is, himself—to control the elections. On Tuesday, February 4, during a press conference at the White House, he doubled down: “If you think about it, a state is an agent of the federal government when it comes to elections. I don’t know why the federal government doesn’t organize them anyway.” That’s false. Constitutionally false. But Trump doesn’t care. He repeats the lie until people start to believe it. Until the idea of nationalizing elections seems reasonable, even necessary.

There’s something deeply disturbing about this strategy. Trump isn’t just lying; he’s rewriting reality. He says that the states are “agents” of the federal government when it comes to elections, when in fact the opposite is true. And he says it with such confidence that people start to doubt themselves. They’re starting to wonder if they’ve really understood the Constitution. It’s gaslighting on a national scale. And it’s working.

Timid opposition within the party

Not all Republicans are on board. John Thune, the Republican majority leader in the Senate, pointed out that the Constitution entrusts the administration of elections to the states, not the federal government. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt attempted to downplay Trump’s remarks, stating that he was merely referring to the SAVE Act, a bill pending in Congress that would require a multitude of documents to register to vote. But this bill has no chance of passing in the Senate, where it will face the 60-vote threshold required for passage.

Insufficient Resistance to Authoritarianism

This division is reminiscent of January 6, 2021, when Trump’s staff, congressional Republicans, Fox News anchors, and even his own daughter begged him to tell the rioters to leave the Capitol. Trump resisted for hours. Today, the same divide is emerging over the election. Trump is determined to rig or overturn results that would diminish his power, even if it means going against his own party. And history shows that Republican opposition, however sincere, will likely not be enough to stop him.

That’s what makes me sick. Republicans know this is wrong. They know it’s unconstitutional. They know it’s dangerous. But they won’t do anything. They’ll issue polite reservations, cautious statements, and then they’ll fall in line behind Trump. As always. Because they’re afraid of him. Afraid of his base. Afraid of losing their seats. So they’ll let democracy die rather than take a stand.

Simulation Exercises to Anticipate Interference

State election officials are not naive. At the winter conference of the National Association of Secretaries of State, several Democratic secretaries of state revealed that they are participating in conference calls and simulation exercises to anticipate the various ways the Trump administration might attempt to rig the vote. Steve Simon, Minnesota’s secretary of state, explained: “We’re imagining the ways in which the federal government might interfere, either explicitly or implicitly, with the administration of elections, and we’re planning our response.”

A Strategy of Legal and Administrative Resistance

This response has several components: a legal response, a communications response, and a purely administrative response. Democratic states are preparing to go to court to obtain injunctions prohibiting ICE, the Border Patrol, and other federal agencies from approaching polling places. These injunctions must be obtained before Election Day, as injunctions issued on Election Day itself would come too late to prevent the deployments. The Trump administration will likely argue that any state seeking such injunctions is clearly attempting to encourage non-citizens to vote, but this argument will not hold up in court.

At least some are fighting back. Democratic secretaries of state aren’t sitting idly by. They’re preparing. They’re anticipating. They’re planning. But will that be enough? Can we really count on the courts to stop Trump? The same courts he filled with conservative judges during his first term? I want to believe so. But I’m afraid it won’t be enough.

When Trump Demands Voter Registration Files

Minnesota has become a textbook case. In January 2026, Attorney General Pam Bondi offered Minnesota a deal: if the state handed over its voter rolls, the administration would withdraw its ICE and Border Patrol agents. This proposal starkly revealed Trump’s fear of the upcoming elections—and the lack of legal channels available to him to rig or restrict the vote. Trump has no legal authority to demand that states hand over their voter rolls.

Blackmail That Reveals the Strategy

This attempt at blackmail shows just how desperate Trump is. He wants these lists so he can strike likely Democratic voters from the rolls. He wants to be able to challenge registrations, create chaos, and sow doubt. But he lacks the legal authority to do so. So he’s trying to intimidate the states. To threaten them. To scare them. Minnesota has refused. Other states will likely follow suit. But how many will truly stand their ground when the pressure mounts?

Bondi’s blackmail is so grotesque that it’s almost comical. Almost. Because behind this ridiculous proposal lies a real threat. Federal agents terrorizing entire communities. Families living in fear. American citizens afraid to go to the polls. This is Trump’s America. A country where the federal government blackmails states to obtain voter rolls. A country where democracy has become a bargaining chip.

When Trump Tried to Overturn an Election Before

We’ve seen this movie before. On January 6, 2021, Trump tried to overturn the results of the presidential election. He incited his supporters to storm the Capitol. He pressured his vice president, Mike Pence, to refuse to certify the results. He watched the insurrection unfold on television for hours, refusing to intervene despite the pleas of those around him. On that day, American democracy nearly collapsed. It was saved by a few courageous individuals who refused to give in.

An Even Greater Threat Today

But today, Trump is better prepared. He has learned from his mistakes. He has replaced the people who resisted him with loyalists. He has purged federal agencies of officials who might have opposed him. He has put in place an infrastructure to rig the 2026 elections long before they take place. And this time, he does not intend to fail. January 6 was a warning. November 2026 could be the real coup.

I often think back to January 6. To those images of the Capitol under siege. To those rioters searching for elected officials to lynch. To Trump watching it all on TV while refusing to intervene. And I tell myself that we’ve learned nothing. That we’ve understood nothing. Trump wasn’t arrested. He wasn’t put on trial. He didn’t pay for what he did. On the contrary, he’s back in power. And now, he’s doing it all over again. But worse. More organized. More dangerous.

An Essential Preventive Legal Strategy

Democratic lawyers must prepare to go to court well before Election Day. They must obtain injunctions prohibiting the deployment of federal agents near polling places. They must have on hand the countless studies documenting the absence of voting by non-citizens. They must be ready to respond immediately to any attempt at interference. Waiting until Election Day would be too late. Any injunctions issued on that day would not stop deployments already underway.

A massive citizen mobilization is necessary

But the courts alone will not be enough. A massive mobilization of the American people is needed. Citizens must understand what is happening. They must know that their right to vote is under threat. They must be ready to fight to defend it. This means demonstrating, protesting, and putting pressure on elected officials. It also means turning out to vote in droves, despite intimidation, despite fear. Because if Americans abandon their right to vote, Trump will have won without even needing to rig the election.

We must act now. Not in November. Now. Because by November, it will be too late. Trump and Bannon are implementing their strategy right before our eyes. They’re telling us exactly what they’re going to do. And we’re just watching them do it. We write articles. We tweet our outrage. But are we really taking action? Are we really mobilizing? Or are we going to wake up once again too late, when the damage has already been done?

A Choice Between Resistance and Surrender

The November 2026 midterm elections will be a defining moment for American democracy. Either the American people will stand up and defend their right to vote, or they will let Trump and his allies destroy the electoral system. There is no third option. Trump has made his intentions clear. He wants to control the elections. He wants to be able to rig them if necessary. He wants to be able to overturn them if the results don’t suit him. And he has the means to do so, with the FBI, ICE, the Border Patrol, and all federal agencies at his disposal.

The Urgency of a Collective Response

Just as on January 6, 2021, Republican opposition will likely not be enough to stop Trump. Even if some Republican elected officials express reservations, even if some members of his administration are uncomfortable, Trump will do as he pleases. It is against this threat that the American people must stand up. The states must prepare legally. Citizens must mobilize en masse. The media must report relentlessly. And everyone must understand that what is at stake in November 2026 is not just a midterm election. It is the future of American democracy.

I don’t know how this story will end. I don’t know if Americans will wake up in time. I don’t know if the courts will hold firm. I don’t know if the states will resist. What I do know is that we’re at a turning point. What’s happening now will determine the future of American democracy for decades to come. And if we do nothing, if we let Trump destroy the electoral system, we won’t be able to say we didn’t know. Because he told us. He told us exactly what he was going to do. And we let him do it.

Signed, Jacques Provost