Summary
Overview
Jon Favreau and Dan Pfeiffer discuss Trump's escalating threats to interfere with the 2026 midterms, including deploying ICE agents at polling places and seizing voting machines. They cover ICE's operations in Minnesota and Maine, the collapse of the Washington Post under Jeff Bezos, and interview Maine Governor Janet Mills about her Senate race against Susan Collins and her response to ICE operations in her state.
Trump's Election Interference Plans and the Threat to 2026 Midterms
Trump and his allies are openly plotting to interfere with the 2026 midterm elections, with Steve Bannon threatening to surround polls with ICE agents and Trump suggesting federal takeover of elections in cities like Detroit, Philadelphia, and Atlanta. The hosts express deep concern that this goes beyond typical alarmism, as Trump has already sent the FBI to raid Fulton County's elections office and Mike Johnson could refuse to seat Democrats in contested races. The threat is particularly serious because once federal agents seize voting machines or ballots, legal remedies become meaningless.
- Trump told NBC's Tom Yamas he wants to put 'federal controls' in place for elections in cities he claims are 'corrupt' like Detroit, Philadelphia, and Atlanta
- Steve Bannon declared ICE will 'surround the polls' in November, which could intimidate voters from showing up
- Trump sent FBI and Tulsi Gabbard to raid Fulton County Elections Office to seize 2020 ballots
- Mike Johnson, who was involved in Stop the Steal, could refuse to seat Democrats in closely contested House races if control hinges on uncertified elections
- The Supreme Court has been good on the 'craziest election stuff' but won't matter if federal agents physically seize ballots and voting machines
" We're going to have ICE surround the polls come November. We're not going to sit here and allow you to steal the country again. "
" When you talk about the federal government going into just seizing an election, like it doesn't matter what the court rules at that point. They have the ballots. That's it. That's like the end. "
" It has to be too big to rig. You just have to win enough that you have to take the power out of their hands because there's really not a lot we can do right now. "
Democratic Strategy: Legal Action and State-Level Resistance
The hosts argue that Democratic governors and state officials need to go beyond expressing concern and publicly commit to arresting federal agents who illegally interfere with elections. They suggest Democrats should deploy state troopers to guard polling places and voting machines, drawing parallels to how European leaders finally stood firm against Trump on Greenland. The strategy requires both legal preparation and aggressive public messaging to establish red lines before Election Day.
- Democratic governors should publicly state that federal agents near polling places or seizing voting machines will be ordered to leave and arrested if they refuse
- States have constitutional authority over elections - governors need to assert this and prepare state troopers to protect polling places
- Democrats need a communications strategy, not just a legal strategy, to immediately counter Trump's fraud claims on election night
- European leaders backing down Trump on Greenland by being firm shows that setting clear boundaries early can work
" I would like Democratic governors to go out there and say like it is illegal and unconstitutional for the federal government to deploy any kind of federal agents or troops around polling places. It is illegal and unconstitutional for the federal government to seize voting machines. "
" Instead of just like letting Trump keep doing this, they were like, no, it's not for sale. And you're when we're going to put troops in Greenland to make sure you don't do it. And he fucking backed down. "
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