Trump calls for nationalizing elections, labels states as federal agents

President Donald Trump said in an Oval Office moment that “a state is an agent for the federal government in elections,” arguing Republicans should nationalize how votes are run. He criticized how some states administer elections and suggested the federal government should step in if states can’t run them honestly. White House aides linked the remarks to support for the SAVE Act, a national voter ID proposal, though officials noted Trump’s ongoing push to overhaul voting rules ahead of midterm elections and reminded that elections are currently run mainly by state and local officials.