MAGA Plans Fake Emergency To Rig Midterm Elections

Donald Trump’s MAGA movement can’t win the midterm elections—so now they’re plotting to steal them.

The Washington Post has obtained a draft executive order circulating among pro-Trump activists. It would declare a national emergency over elections and hand the president unprecedented control over how Americans vote. The fake emergency would supposedly give Trump the power to ban mail ballots and voting machines, using false claims about foreign interference as an excuse.

From the story, “Trump, seeking executive power over elections, is urged to declare emergency” (gift link):

Pro-Trump activists who say they are in coordination with the White House are circulating a 17-page draft executive order that claims China interfered in the 2020 election as a basis to declare a national emergency that would unlock extraordinary presidential power over voting.

Here’s a quick framing of the situation:

This is an attack on freedom. Voting is the most basic freedom we have—the cornerstone of American democracy. Any effort to restrict, manipulate, or seize control of how Americans vote is an attack on that freedom. Call it what it is: an attack on freedom.

MAGA is planning to rig the election via a ballot coup. Trump and his supporters have been hunting for a reason to interfere in elections. Now, they are trying to overthrow democracy, openly manufacturing a fake emergency to do so. They are building their plan piece by piece from recycled conspiracy theories, all to justify seizing power over elections before the midterms. The con is in plain sight—expose it. (And don’t argue over the fake claims about foreign interference. That’s the debate Trump wants. This story is about his interference.)

Americans reject Trump’s election rigging. A new poll finds that a majority of Americans (54 percent) oppose federal takeover of election administration. This opposition will increase once voters hear that MAGA is planning to steal the election. Trump is deeply unpopular and a majority of Americans give him a failing grade. Polling shows that as many as 63 percent of Americans disapprove of his performance—proof that Trump is a weak president leading a minoritarian movement.

This is a dangerous situation. With Trump sinking and headed for a midterm wipeout, he’s desperate to cling to power. In addition, his lies about the 2020 election form a key part of his identity, and a fake emergency that allows him to claim he won is one way to resolve his false claims.

What can you do? Forward this message to your friends and family. Call your Congressional representatives.

Tell them: Trump’s MAGA movement is plotting to steal the election with a fake emergency. This is an election coup, a direct attack on freedom and democracy. The vast majority of Americans oppose this—and will do so in the streets if necessary.

Further reading

George Lakoff: It’s all about freedom

Freedom is the Frame

FrameLabGeorge Lakoff

Trump is a Weak President

Trump’s approval hits 37% as his strongman psychology prevents him from fixing the economy he broke. The strict father model is now his trap.

FrameLabL O L G O P

Trump is a loser. Here’s why it matters

One key thing a ‘strict father’ authoritarian simply cannot be

FrameLabGil Duran