Trump’s Goal Is to Suppress Votes, Not Prevent Election Fraud
Donald Trump says the SAVE Act is about stopping noncitizens from voting. But the real target is the millions of working-class citizens who don't have an updated passport or paper birth certificate sitting in a drawer.
The Republican Party seems to have decided that the 2026 and 2028 elections will be easier for them if a lot fewer Americans vote. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)
Donald Trump has a very simple explanation for why his political enemies object to his proposed election law, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (otherwise known as the “SAVE America Act” or just the “SAVE Act”). He laid it out in his State of the Union address earlier this year.
One reason, because they want to cheat. There’s only one reason. They make up all excuses. They say it’s racist. They come up with things. You almost say, ‘What imagination they have.’ They want to cheat.
According to Trump, “cheating” (by which he primarily means noncitizens voting) is currently “rampant.” The SAVE Act would save us from this problem by requiring everyone who registers to vote to prove they’re a citizen by producing documentation, such as a passport or birth certificate. While the law has several other controversial provisions, the president and his allies routinely express astonishment that anyone anywhere could have a problem with this central requirement.
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