Martial law midterms? Take Trump's word for it

Will America's midterm elections, now just 33 days away, be marred by a declaration of martial law or an invocation of The Insurrection Act?

MAGA influencers who support President Donald Trump's quest to unconstitutionally seize control of those elections are now calling for him to use martial law or other extraordinary actions to declare a national emergency as a pretext to hijack the midterms.

Sounds outlandish, right? Not if you listen to what Trump has to say about it.

• In an interview seven weeks ago with one of the MAGA influencers urging him on, Trump said "stranger things have happened" when asked if he would declare a national emergency for the midterms.

• Trump told The New York Times in an interview eight months ago that he regretted not ordering the National Guard to seize voting machines after he lost the 2020 presidential election, and failed to overturn those results.

• Trump threatened to invoke The Insurrection Act earlier this year after his controversial immigration policy prompted protests.

So, no, not outlandish. If anything, it would be a striking surprise if Trump simply lets the midterms play out in a free and fair fashion and then accepts the results, even if they hand control of Congress to Democrats in January.

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The Brennan Center for Justice counts at least 68 times when martial law was invoked, from 1814 ahead of the Battle of New Orleans to the Cambridge riot in Maryland in 1963. The Brennan Center's research cites no instance where an American president, or other elected leader, declared martial law because of an election.

And, as the Brennan Center noted last year, The Insurrection Act does not allow a president to use armed troops to override constitutionally protected acts, like casting a ballot in an election. It also does not allow for sending troops to polling places during an election, which is prohibited by federal law.

But here's the sad fact about America today: Our president will not follow federal laws or the U.S. Constitution if they stand in the way of what he wants. Americans need to know how their votes are protected by law. And they need to be prepared to stand up to Trump when he tries to break the law to control the results of our elections.

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