Trump Pledges Executive Order to Ban Mail-In Voting After Putin Meeting

Trump announced plans to sign an executive order ending mail-in voting and targeting voting machines for the 2026 midterms, citing Vladimir Putin’s claim that postal ballots ‘rigged’ the 2020 election. Trump told Fox News that Putin said during their Alaska summit ‘Your election was rigged because you have mail-in voting.’

Context: The Constitution’s Elections Clause gives states and Congress—not presidents—power to run elections. Georgetown law professor Steve Vladeck called Trump’s plan ‘bluster,’ noting the Constitution ‘gives precisely zero power over elections to the President.’ On August 20, the White House reversed course, saying it would pursue legislation rather than executive action after legal experts warned the order would be unconstitutional.

Significance: A president adopting Russian propaganda about U.S. elections and attempting to ban voting methods based on foreign autocrat’s advice demonstrates extraordinary foreign influence over domestic policy. The willingness to issue unconstitutional orders eliminating voting access reveals intent to use executive power for voter suppression. Putin’s ability to shape Trump’s election policy exposes how foreign adversaries manipulate U.S. democratic processes through presidential access.