Donald Trump's approval ratings are stuck in the 30s as the Iran war continues and prices rise.
Yet the president is focused on building self-serving monuments and putting his face on new $1 coins.
His latest primetime speech on election integrity was a case in point, rehashing grievances and attacking the media.
“No country can be great without fair and honest elections,” Trump said. “If there can be no trust, there can be no greatness.
Unfortunately, the system we have falls catastrophically short of that standard.”
Trust is indeed in short supply.
NBC and ABC declined to air the speech, while CBS warned viewers that much of what Trump says on election integrity is false.
A Multi-Step Plan to Rig Elections
Critics warn that Trump is laying the groundwork to interfere with the upcoming midterms. Step one: undermine confidence in the electoral system.
Trump has done this repeatedly for years.
Step two: remove independent agencies. Earlier this month, Trump fired the last three members of the US Election Assistance Commission.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called it a “brazen attempt to seize control of our elections.”
Step three: pass the Save America Act, requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register. Critics say it could disenfranchise millions, including married women and low-income Americans without passports.
Trump has even called for eliminating the filibuster to pass the bill.
“If we terminate the filibuster and immediately vote for the Save America Act, then we will not lose an election for a hundred years,” he said.
Step four: use threats.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin warned state election officials of possible prison time if they don't comply with efforts to find noncitizens on voting lists, despite data showing such cases are rare.
Step five: declare an emergency to seize voting machines or deploy the National Guard.
Former Trump lawyer Ty Cobb said the speech “is intended to add the predicate that he needs to declare an emergency at or about the time of the elections.”
Trump has insisted there are “no limits” to his power and joked about being a dictator.
He has made clear he will do whatever it takes to ensure MAGA doesn't lose an election for “a hundred years.”
