Key events
Donald Trump reiterated his calls during a speech on Thursday for the approval of the Save America Act – a reworked and broadened version of last year’s Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (Save) act, which made it through the US House but didn’t receive a Senate vote.
This year’s proposal introduces a stringent voter ID requirement for voting and mandates that states regularly submit their voter rolls to the Department of Homeland Security. It also imposes criminal liability on election officials who register voters without adequate documentary proof of citizenship.
Last month, a US federal court blocked Trump’s attempt to circumvent Congress on the Save Act using an executive order. This week, House Republicans renewed their push to bring back the bill by attaching it to an unrelated spending measure, passing both primarily along party lines.
Following Thursday’s address, Republicans expressed their support for the Save Act, with representatives like Tim Burchett from Tennessee urging citizens to contact their senators.
“We are going to lose our country if we don’t pass the dadgum Save America Act,” Burchett posted on X. “Call your senator and tell them to save our great nation.”
Democrats began criticizing the Save Act even before Trump took the stage, with Kamala Harris, former vice-president and defeated Democratic candidate in the 2024 presidential election, leading the opposition.
“Here is what you need to know: The 2020 election was not stolen; we won and he lost,” she wrote on social media. “The Save Act is voter suppression. It is part of a larger agenda of conservatives trying to steal power from the people.”
The criticisms continued after his speech.
“Tonight, Donald Trump reminded us again just how desperate he is to steal the midterm elections. The so-called Save America Act isn’t about stopping fraud; it’s about stopping voters,” JB Pritzker, governor of Illinois, posted on X.
“After listening to the president’s rambling address, I want him to know that the Save America Act is going NOWHERE in the Senate,” Patty Murray, a Democratic senator from Washington state, posted on X. “It belongs in the trash with the rest of Donald Trump’s conspiracy theories. America, use your vote and your voice to save our democracy.”
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China and Democrats Reject Trump’s Latest Unverified Election Interference Claims
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of US politics. Donald Trump used a 25-minute primetime televised speech on Thursday to make unverified allegations regarding China’s interference in the 2020 presidential election while casting serious doubts on U. S. electoral integrity. However, heavily redacted documents released by the White House meant to support these claims seemed counterproductive as they suggested China did not aim to interfere in that election – allegations previously investigated by intelligence officials who concluded with high confidence in 2021 that China “did not deploy interference efforts and considered but did not deploy influence efforts intended to change the outcome of the US presidential election”. On Friday, China’s foreign ministry labeled these accusations as “pure fabrication” and described them as “a malicious smear campaign,” according to Reuters. Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters during a briefing that Beijing has no interest in interfering with US elections nor has it ever done so. “We urge the US to take a long hard look at itself and stop making unfounded accusations against China,” stated Lin. Democrats were quick to condemn Trump’s messaging as well. Mark Warner, Democratic senator from Virginia and vice-chair of Senate intelligence committee said that Trump’s speech “was just lies and long-debunked conspiracies.” “This is all just a prelude to interfere in our midterms – don’t fall for it,” Warner posted on X. “If Trump wins it’s a fair election; if he loses there was fraud. Does he realize that this discussion is about an election that happened under his presidency? The only reason Trump brings this up now is as distraction because he hasn’t made Americans’ lives better,” Mark Kelly, Democratic senator from Arizona posted on X. More updates coming soon.ShareSource link
