Trump's Latest Plot To Rig The Midterms

Summary

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What A Day – “Trump's Latest Plot To Rig The Midterms”

Date: June 17, 2026
Host: Jane Coston
Guest: Mark Elias, founder of Democracy Docket

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Episode Overview

This episode digs into former President Donald Trump’s maneuvers to undermine voting rights heading into the 2026 midterms. Host Jane Coston speaks with veteran election lawyer Mark Elias about Trump's push to pass the “Save America Act”—a bill making voting registration significantly tougher—and his broader efforts to question election legitimacy, particularly in California. Armed with humor, directness, and expertise, the episode explores the specific tactics Trump uses, the response from Republicans, and the broader implications for democracy in the upcoming elections.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump's Legislative Tactics and the "Save America Act"

[05:12 – 07:39]

• Trump is pressuring Congress to pass the “Save America Act,” going so far as to delay confirmation of his own Director of National Intelligence nominee, Jake Clayton.
• The act mandates proof of citizenship (original birth certificate or unexpired passport—no “real ID”) to register to vote, disenfranchising millions, particularly married women who may have changed their names.
• The bill adds complex requirements for mail-in voting, demanding ID for absentee ballots:
  “Go ahead and try and figure out how the hell you do that. Right."
  (Mark Elias, 06:32)
• Even Senate Republicans find the bill too extreme:
  “It’s not just they can’t pass it, but they actually don’t even have a majority to pass it. Like there are Republicans who don’t want to pass it.”
  (Mark Elias, 05:31)
• Trump’s underlying goal isn’t passing the law, but creating a narrative: if Republicans lose, he can allege fraud because Democrats “blocked” the Save America Act.

2. Election Fraud Narratives in California

[11:06 – 14:33]

• Trump claims (without evidence) California’s 2026 primary was "rigged" after a Republican finished third for LA mayor—claims echoed by some federal officials.
• Mark Elias notes Trump’s history: even after winning the 2016 presidency, he insisted he only lost California due to “fraud”:
  “Literally, he said that he would have won California if there had not been illegal votes. He lost by millions of ballots. Right.”
  (Mark Elias, 11:16)
• Federal prosecutors are breaking norms by publicly announcing investigations into voting organizations:
  “...federal prosecutors are not supposed to announce anything. They're not supposed to announce publicly that they're investigating things.”
  (Mark Elias, 12:13)
• The real strategy: by challenging results in a state with many House seats, Trump can cast doubt on potentially dozens of races at once.

3. Voter Intimidation and Weaponization of Government

[13:41 – 14:33]

• Mark Elias highlights increased government actions against voting organizations, noting recent FBI raids in Ohio and the indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
• He draws attention to the tactic of intimidating organizations working to expand voter participation, framing these as “weaponization of government” that undermine democracy as much as high-profile legal conflicts.

4. Attempting to Influence Public Perception and Media Criticism

[14:57 – 16:47]

• Trump and allies capitalize on public and media impatience with slow vote-counting (e.g., New York Times’ editorial criticizing California’s tallying speed), using it to stoke suspicion.
• Mark Elias points out: several battleground states, including Nevada, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Georgia, regularly take days to count votes, making Trump’s “stop the count” rhetoric a broader threat to the electoral process.
• “Donald Trump’s position is stop the count on election night. And there are very few states who are gonna be able to do that.”
  (Mark Elias, 16:31)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Save America Act:
  “Ultimately, the only people who will be able to register to vote are people who have unexpired passports and the people who Donald Trump believes their birth certificate is real.”
  — Mark Elias, 06:32

• On Republicans’ reluctance to pass voting restrictions:
  “There are Republicans who don’t want to pass it. Now, why is that?”
  — Mark Elias, 05:31

• On Trump’s endless fraud claims:
  “Rather than asking Donald Trump why he says he won elections that he didn’t, the legacy media should just ask him what state he agrees he did lose... Because Donald Trump has regularly claimed there was fraud everywhere that he lost.”
  — Mark Elias, 11:18

• On the media’s role:
  “They’re just doing Donald Trump’s bidding... the effect of this is not just to give aid and comfort to Republicans in California, but let’s just go back to 2020.”
  — Mark Elias, 15:21

• On the broader impact:
  “They need to make it harder for you to vote and easier for them to cheat... and this is part of the easier to cheat part of that formula.”
  — Mark Elias, 15:09

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Important Segment Timestamps

• [05:10] – Start of the substantive interview with Mark Elias on the Save America Act
• [06:32] – Mark Elias explains how voting eligibility would be dramatically reduced
• [11:06] – California "rigged" election claims; context and U.S. attorney involvement
• [13:41] – Government intimidation of voting organizations
• [14:57] – What this means for November and the future
• [16:47] – Concluding remarks from Elias and Coston

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Summary Flow & Takeaway

This episode exposes Trump’s continued use of voting legislation—not to actually pass policy, but to lay the groundwork for contesting November’s results. By interviewing Mark Elias, the show clarifies the details and dangers of the “Save America Act,” the coordinated effort to undermine trust in elections (especially in vote-rich states like California), and how federal officials and media are drawn into Trump’s controversies.

The episode urges listeners to see through these tactics, highlighting the importance of transparent vote-counting and vigilance against efforts to intimidate voters and advocacy groups. The overarching message: Trump’s goal is not lawmaking, but narrative-building—preparing the political ground to contest unfavorable results and weaken public faith in democratic institutions.

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Transcript

[Mark Elias]

Donald Trump has actually been sabotaging his own legislative agenda and now his own nominees to pass a bill that, as you point out, Republicans in the Senate, it's not just they can't pass it, but they actually don't even have a majority to pass it. Like there are Republicans who don't want to pass it.

[Jane Costen]

I'm Jane Coston and this is what a Day. The show deeply inspired by this heartwarming tale of true love between President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi.

[Donald Trump]

He was in a hotel and I met him and we fell in love. Deeply in love.

[Jane Costen]

Touching on today's show, we talk about Trump's continued attacks on the right to vote with democracy Docket founder Mark Elias. Before we get into all that, here's what we're following today, Wednesday, June 17th

[Donald Trump]

and the one president I did not want to be was the late, great Herbert Hoover. I didn't want that. And who knows what would have happened?

[Jane Costen]

During a speech at the G7 summit in France today, Trump pondered hypotheticals like which presidents he would and would not want to be. Look, you know I love a presidential hypothetical trivia time, but maybe not here. And while I wish I could play all of the nonsensical comments Trump made, I'll instead let him give you an update on the US Iran deal that's supposedly set to be formally signed in Switzerland on Friday.

[Donald Trump]

Maybe the deal we reached with Iran on Sunday will be signed shortly, tomorrow, maybe the next day. Think, you know, subject deals. My whole life is all about deals. That's all I ever did is make deals. And crazy things happen with deals.

[Jane Costen]

What? But when and if the deal will actually be signed is not the only confusing thing about it. Exactly what the US Iran deal entails has also been up in the air. But after days of secrecy, senior US Officials dictated the memorandum of understanding with Iran to journalists today. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to read the draft, which Iran has not released, according to the officials. The draft agreement includes provisions to ensure Lebanon's territorial integrity after Israel's latest attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanese territory. In return, the US Will move to terminate wide ranging sanctions against Iran, the official said. The US Draft of the agreement also secures toll free passage of the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days, but it does not preclude fees in the future. Welcome to how much money does it take for Republicans to overlook a Trump endorsement? On Tuesday, we found out, at least for one Georgia race, that is the answer. More than $100 million that's what Rick Jackson's campaign spent to defeat Trump endorsed Bert Jones in the Republican runoff for Georgia governor. It was another rare example of the president's choice falling short in a primary battle. Jackson, a billionaire healthcare tycoon, personally supplied most of the money his campaign spent to persuade Republican voters to overlook Trump's advice. Trump endorsed lieutenant Governor Burt Jones last year, praising Jones's quote, courage and wisdom in a true social post. I guess courage and wisdom isn't as sexy as $100 million. Jackson will now face Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta, in November. The World cup started last week, and the underdogs are looking good. Four matches on Monday ended in ties. Now that might sound anticlimactic, but it was the most in a single day of men's World cup play since 1958, and all of them could technically be considered upsets. The 61st, 67th and 85th ranked teams in FIFA's world rankings were all underdogs in their first matches at the World cup, and while none of them won on Monday, none of them lost. The biggest win that wasn't a win saw cape Verde hold Spain 00 in what easily has been the biggest shocker of the tournament to this point. In case you didn't know, Cape Verde is making its World cup debut. Spain is ranked number two and favored to win the whole thing. And that's the news. Let's talk about voting and how President Trump is willing to risk national security to make it harder for you to do it. Trump has been trying to get his Save America act passed for months. The bill would require not just id, but proof of citizenship to vote, effectively disenfranchising Americans who don't happen to have their passport or birth certificate handy, which is millions of Americans. Trump is so deeply committed to this terrible bill that today he pressured Senate Republicans into delaying the confirmation hearing for his Director of National Intelligence nominee, Jake Clayton. And on Truth Social, he said he'd refuse to sign any legislation reauthorizing a major intelligence security law unless that legislation is attached to the Save America Act. So what does Trump's determination to get this bill passed mean for November? To find out, I spoke with Mark Elias, founder of Democracy Docket. Mark, welcome back to what a day.

[Mark Elias]

Thanks for having me back.

[Jane Costen]

So Trump thwarted his own Director of National Intelligence nominees confirmation to pressure Congress into passing his Save America act, which has run into a lot of problems in the Senate, mostly cuz Republicans think it's unpassable. What is in this bill that Trump is So obsessed with.

[Mark Elias]

Yeah, I'm glad you, you framed it the way you did. Because as you say, Donald Trump has actually been sabotaging his own legislative agenda and now his own nominees to pass a bill that, as you point out, Republicans in the Senate, it's not just they can't pass it, but they actually don't even have a majority to pass it. Like there are Republicans who don't want to pass it. Now, why is that? What the Save America act would do is, number one, it would make it much harder for people to register to vote. Particularly, we've heard a lot about married women who change their last names. And that's because you'd have to prove proof of citizenship in order to register to vote. And what that means, in short, is to register to vote, you'd either have to have a unexpired passport or a original birth certificate. And a lot of people don't have either of those documents. Real IDs wouldn't do the trick. No other document would do the trick. Just one of those two things. And as you know as well as I do, Donald Trump's not so good on the whole birth certificate proving citizenship. Right.

[Jane Costen]

Like, after all, kind of notoriously terrible at that.

[Mark Elias]

Correct? Right. So, like, it's all kind of a trap anyway that ultimately the only people who will be able to register to vote are people who have unexpired passports and the people who Donald Trump believes their birth certificate is real. So that's one part of the SAVE Act. But the SAVE act gets worse from there. Right? Because it's been larded up with a bunch of other provisions when it moved from being the SAVE act to the Save America Act. And this would, for example, cripple voting by mail. Right. It would require not just ID to vote in person, but ID to vote by mail. Go ahead and try and figure out how the hell you do that. Right. So it's a bad voting bill that, like I said, doesn't even have 50 votes in the US Senate, no less a filibuster proof majority. And Donald Trump knows that. But he is setting up a permission structure. When this November, Republicans lose control of the Senate and the House, he's going to say there was massive voter for it. He's already saying that about California in the primaries. And he's going to say that part of the reason why there's massive voter fraud is because Democrats blocked the SAVE Act.

[Jane Costen]

We'll get back to my conversation with Mark Elias in a moment. Because that's what I voted for. But if you like the show, make sure to subscribe, leave a 5 star review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, watch us on YouTube and share with your friends. More to come after some ads this episode is brought to you by IQ Bar, our exclusive snack, hydration and coffee sponsor. IQ Bar Protein Bars, IQ Mix Hydration Mixes and IQ Joe Mushroom Coffees are the delicious, low sugar, brain and body fuel you need to win your day. All IQ Bar products are packed with clean, delicious ingredients to keep you physically and mentally fit, like magnesium, lion's mane and more. There are plenty of flavor combinations to choose from across all IQ Bar products, from Mint Chocolate Chip protein bars to Blueberry Pomegranate Hydration mixes to to Vanilla Spice Coffee and even limited edition and seasonal flavors too. With over 20,000 5 star reviews and counting, more people than ever are fueling their busy lifestyles with IQ Bars, Brain and Body Boosting Bars, Hydration mixes and mushroom coffees. Their Ultimate Sampler Pack includes all three IQ Bar has become part of my daily routines, like having an IQ Bar as a snack or a post gym refueling option. And right now IQ Bar is offering our special podcast listeners 20% off all IQ bar products including the Ultimate Sampler Pack plus free shipping. To get your 20% off, text WAD to 64,000. Text WAD to 64,000. That's WAD to 64,000. Message and data rates may apply. See Terms for details. What a day is brought to you by Quince Summer always makes me rethink what I'm reaching for every day. Lighter fabrics, better materials, pieces that just feel good the moment you put them on and look effortless. That's why I keep coming back to Quince. They focus on high quality essentials. Think breathable linen, soft organic cotton, washable silk, but without the luxury markup. It's that rare balance where everything feels elevated but still easy. Everything at quince is priced 50 to 80% less in similar brands. Quince works directly with ethical factories and cuts out the middlemen so you're paying for quality, not brand markup. And it's not just clothing. Quint's has really become a destination for elevated essentials across home, kitchen, bedding and beyond, making it easy to bring a more premium feel into everyday life. I love Quince's Mongolian cashmere turtleneck sweaters and I'm excited to try their relaxed oxford shirts for work and play. Elevate your summer wardrobe. Go to quince.com wad for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns now available in Canada, too. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com wad for free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com wad let's get back to my conversation with Mark Elias. I'm glad you mentioned California, because Trump has been claiming that California's primary election was, quote, rigged. And a U.S. attorney in California says his office has multiple election fraud investigations in progress. Now, one, what do you think it says about Donald Trump that he thinks a Republican finishing third in the LA mayoral election is suspicious. And two, what do we know about these investigations? I'm tempted to use air quotes, and yet I won't because I suspect that there are actually people getting doors knocked on by members of the, you know, the federal government.

[Mark Elias]

Absolutely. I mean, look, Donald Trump said after the 2016 election, this is an election he won before 2020. He said after the 2016 election that he believes he lost California because of fraud. Literally. He said that he would have won California if there had not been illegal votes. He lost by millions of ballots. Right. Like I once suggested in the run up to the 2024 election, rather than asking Donald Trump why he says he won elections that he didn't, that the legacy media should just ask him what state he agrees he did lose, what is the state that he lost that wasn't the result of fraud? Because Donald Trump has regularly claimed there was fraud everywhere that he lost. Now. So that is like the baseline going into this. I'd also note that if you were trying to engage in fraudulent outcomes, why would you count slowly and transparently over time? Right. Like if in fact you were. California is trying to do the thing that Donald Trump says. Wouldn't you do it in the dark of night on election night when there's like a lot of other things being attention to, why would you do it through a methodical, transparent vote count over time? So it's all just made up, it's all nonsense, it's all lies. And it's efforts to discredit California vote counting. Because Donald Trump's only chance of holding control of the House is to claim that there was massive vote fraud and therefore people who won elections shouldn't be seated. Well, you know, maybe you could do that in Rhode island and affect one seat. Maybe you could do it in New Jersey. Affect what? Two seats? He's going to California because for the same reason Willie Sutton robbed banks. It's where the seats are. Right. He can claim vote fraud in California and it's dozens of seats now. He ought to all of a sudden puts in play. So that's the Trump piece of this with respect to the U.S. attorney's office. Look, this has been a shameful display. Like, you have the chief federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, the U.S. attorney, announcing fraud investigations, which federal prosecutors are not supposed to announce anything. They're not supposed to announce publicly that they're investigating things. Number one, it's not good if they're actually investigating things to tip people off. But number two, they're not supposed to put themselves in the middle of a political problem process. Even worse than that, though, the guy from New York, you know, Jay Clayton, the guy who's now up for odni, he went on CNBC and told Joe Kernan that he was worried about the opportunity for fraud in California elections. And when that happened, honestly, I went on TV and some podcasts and I was like, why the hell is the top federal prosecutor in New York City opining on election vote counting in California? And then, like, he got his job offer, and it occurred to me he hadn't proved himself to be a made man election denier. Like, he'd never had the chance to deny the outcome of elections before. So he was taking this chance to get this promotion. We're gonna see a lot more of this. We're already seeing raids in Ohio of voter registration groups. We've seen the indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center. We tend to pay a lot of attention to the weaponization of government when it involves people like James Comey or Tish James. But we need to understand that the weaponization of government is also these efforts to intimidate voters and voting organizations to not do their work.

[Jane Costen]

Yeah, it was crazy living in California, how quickly I started hearing claims that the California primary was rigged. Like Trump said, Democrats cheated on June 3, one day after the election. What does this mean for the November midterms in California and beyond? As to your point, like, Democrats are probably going to do well in the midterms, and Trump is going to argue all of that is fraudulent.

[Mark Elias]

Right. And they're going to do well in California in the midterms. Like, remember, it was California that passed by popular referendum the ballot measure that added. That changed the composition of the district so that Democrats were likely to gain five more seats. So it's like, not a surprise that he is. He is targeting California. But I think that this is a sign of what's to come. Like, this is a leading indicator of what Donald Trump and the Republicans plans are, which is they're going to make it harder for people to vote. And, and when that doesn't succeed, they're gonna try to cheat. And so they need to make it harder for you to vote and easier for them to cheat. And this is part of the easier to cheat part of that formula. And we all need to just understand that that's what's happening. And if I can again call out the legacy media here, the New York Times put out an editorial that basically criticized California's vote counting process and how long it took. And you know, and like, first of all, I don't know why the New York Times is like wading into again, like the arcane question of like how quickly elections are tallied. But they're just doing Donald Trump's bidding. And I pointed out in Democracy docket that the effect of this is not just to give aid and comfort to Republicans in California, but let's just go back to 2020. Nevada didn't tally its votes for eight days. Pennsylvania, remember when Pennsylvania was called? Pennsylvania wasn't called till the Saturday after the Tuesday. Arizona. Fox News called Arizona, but AP and the rest of them, Arizona was still vote counting into early the next week. Georgia took several days to vote. Donald Trump's position is stop the count on election night. And there are very few states who are gonna be able to do that. But that's what Donald Trump wants. And I worry that it is not just going to be to undermine the results in California, but as you say, in other states.

[Jane Costen]

Mark, as always, thank you so much for joining me.

[Mark Elias]

Thank you for having me and I hope I'll be able, I hope I'll be invited back.

[Jane Costen]

You will be, don't worry.

[Mark Elias]

Good.

[Jane Costen]

That was my conversation with Mark Elias, founder of Democracy Docket. Before we go, guys, Crooked Con 2026 is happening November 5th through 7th in Washington D.C. it's going to be even bigger than last year and I'll be there. There will be exciting panels across bigger stages, candidate forums, live shows, interviews, organizing events, and tense but cathartic moments between prominent media figures who have yelled at each other on the Internet. Friends of the POD subscribers get an exclusive discount for the all day event on November 7th. In addition to many other perks we can't wait to tell you about. Go to crookedcon.com to get your tickets. We can't wait to see you there. That's all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, Cheers to the Scottish soccer fans drinking Boston Dry. And tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading and not just about how the Tartan army is drinking so much beer at Boston establishments that last weekend the Sam Adams Chap Room, for example, ran out of Sam Adams. Like me. What a Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and [e-mail] subscribe I'm Jane Costen, and do you know how much beer you need to drink to triple St. Patrick's Day beer sales in Boston? I guess Scotland does. What a Day is a production of Crooked Media. Our show is produced by Caitlin Plummer, Emily Foer, Erica Morrison and Adrienne Hill. Our team includes Haley Jones, Greg Walters, Matt Berg, Joseph Dutra, Johanna Case and Desmond Taylor. Our music is by Kyle Murdoch and Jordan Kanter. We had help today from the Associated Press. Our production staff is proudly unionized with the Writers Guild of America East.