Trump to give prime-time election address as voting fight intensifies
The White House says Trump will reveal election findings, while Democrats warn he may be trying to cast doubt on November’s midterms.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
President Donald Trump is scheduled to deliver a prime-time address Thursday night focused on elections, with the White House saying he will present findings it says are supported by evidence. The speech comes as Republicans in the House advance a spending bill with election-related money and Democrats warn Trump may be laying the groundwork to challenge November’s midterm results.
Al Jazeera reported that Trump is expected to speak at 9 p.m. in Washington, DC, or 01:00 GMT. Details of the planned remarks remained unclear ahead of the address, though Trump is widely expected to discuss claims of interference in the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.
Trump has claimed for years, without evidence, that widespread fraud cost him the 2020 election, according to Al Jazeera. Earlier this week, Trump told reporters that he would be “discussing other things, too” and described the address as “a very big announcement.”
White House previews election claims
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters during a Thursday briefing that they should listen to the address before drawing conclusions. She said Trump would reveal findings that she described as backed “by facts and by evidence.”
“Everyone should tune in tonight, including the people in this room, and you should report on the president’s speech and the findings that he is going to reveal in this speech with a little bit of honesty and a little bit of integrity, because it will shock you,” Leavitt said, according to Al Jazeera.
The White House did not provide the specific findings before the speech, according to the report. That uncertainty has sharpened political reaction before Trump’s remarks.
House Republicans advance spending package
Republicans on the House of Representatives budget committee have moved forward a $95bn spending package that includes some of Trump’s election priorities, Al Jazeera reported. Roughly $73bn of the package would fund defence and intelligence operations.
About $10bn would be allocated for election-related costs, according to the report. Some of that money would be offered to states as incentives to adopt voting measures Trump has supported.
Trump has been pressing Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, which would require voters to show proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate or passport, before casting a ballot. The bill has stalled amid criticism that it could prevent eligible citizens who lack those documents from voting.
Critics have warned that the broader spending bill could run into similar opposition if it includes restrictions from the SAVE America Act, Al Jazeera reported.
Democrats warn of midterm risk
Some Democrats have voiced concern that Trump’s speech could be used to cast doubt on the November midterm elections before votes are counted. Al Jazeera reported that Democrats fear Trump may revive unfounded complaints about the 2020 election as his party faces the possibility of losing one or both chambers of Congress.
Senator Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, questioned Trump’s motives earlier Thursday. “He’s trying to scare off people from voting. I feel like he knows, if there’s free and fair elections this fall, American people are going to reject Donald Trump and his policies,” Warner said, according to Al Jazeera.
Warner added: “And since he can’t win on substance, he’s trying to cook the books.”
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.