REVEALED: Trump's “Fake Emergency Scam” to Seize Elections

A Trump advisor just revealed the next phase: declaring a national emergency to interfere with federal elections. This follows Nazi theorist Carl Schmitt's “state of exception”—manufacturing emergencies to suspend normal rules and consolidate power.

I’ve been tracking how Trump's fake emergencies match this blueprint. On Sept. 8, historian and writer Heather Cox Richardson issued an important warning:

The apparent plan of the Trump administration reflects the strategy of Nazi political theorist Carl Schmitt, whose writings seem lately to have captivated leaders on the American right, including billionaire Peter Thiel and the man who influenced him, Curtis Yarvin. Schmitt opposed liberal democracy, in which the state enables individuals to determine their own fate. Instead, he argued that true democracy erases individual self-determination by making the mass of people one with the state and exercising their will through state power. That uniformity requires getting rid of opposition. Schmitt theorized that politics is simply about dividing people into friends and enemies and using the power of the state to crush enemies. As J.D. Vance described Schmitt’s ideas in 2024: “There’s no law, there's just power.”

It’s crucial to understand how Trump’s constant declarations of fake emergencies fit the Schmitt playbook.

“This tactic isn't new,” I wrote in April. “Nazi legal theorist Carl Schmitt called it the state of exception — when an emergency, real or invented, is used to suspend norms and rewrite the rules. Authoritarians throughout history have used this exact concept to consolidate power.” 

Now, Trump advisor Cleta Mitchell has raised the prospect of Trump declaring an emergency in order to seize power. From Democracy Docket:

Cleta Mitchell thinks President Donald Trump may declare a national emergency to allow him to take control of national elections. 

Her comments will add to growing concern that Trump is plotting a way to use his power over the military and federal law enforcement to rig next year’s vote.

“The president’s authority is limited in his role with regard to elections except where there is a threat to the national sovereignty of the United States —  as I think that we can establish with the porous system that we have,” said Mitchell, a prominent anti-voting lawyer who played a key role in Trump’s failed bid to overturn the 2020 election, in an appearance on a podcast hosted by the Christian conservative leader Tony Perkins.

“Then, I think maybe the president is thinking that he will exercise some emergency powers to protect the federal elections going forward,” Mitchell added.

How do we know it’s Schmitt’s playbook? The fingerprints are all over this strategy. People close to Trump keep bringing up Schmitt, and there’s really no other reason to mention him. The core of his ideas amounts to a simple mechanism for overthrowing democracy. People close to Trump are imposing this frame, and it serves as a warning.

This is the Fake Emergency Scam—a four-step con job to steal democratic power.

The playbook:

First, create a fake emergency.

Second, bypass democracy to address the “crisis.”

Third, grab emergency powers.

Fourth, repeat the cycle.

Mitchell clearly identifies our election system as a vulnerable point Trump might attack with a fake emergency. This isn’t ideal talk—this is a trial balloon for corrupting the democratic process.

So, what can we do? Tell everyone you know. Share this message. Write to your elected officials and urge them to start talking about how Trump is using fake emergencies to erode democracy. Tell them to warn the American people about the fake emergency playbook.

And get ready to hit the streets! No Kings is planning another mass mobilization on October 18. Remember: This ends with tens of millions of Americans in the streets, standing up for democracy and freedom. Click here for more information.

Here’s my 2-minute video explainer on how Trump uses fake emergencies to steal democracy: