Activists who support President Donald Trump say they are coordinating with the White House and are circulating a draft executive order alleging that China interfered in the 2020 presidential election and arguing that the findings could justify declaring a national emergency, according to a report by The Washington Post.
The draft order reportedly asserts that evidence of foreign interference would empower Trump to take sweeping action over federal election procedures.
Among the measures discussed by supporters are restrictions on mailed ballots and voting machines, which they argue could serve as potential avenues for outside influence.
Trump has repeatedly said he wants stronger voter identification requirements and tighter controls on voting by mail ahead of upcoming elections.
He has also pressed Congress to pass legislation requiring proof of citizenship to register and a uniform photo ID standard to cast a ballot. The House has approved such legislation, but it faces an uncertain path in the Senate.
According to the Post, activists behind the draft believe it could factor into a broader executive action if Congress does not move forward.
The White House declined to detail any specific plans but said the president regularly hears from outside advocates who present policy proposals.
"President Trump is committed to ensuring that Americans have full confidence in the administration of elections, and that includes totally accurate and up-to-date voter rolls free of errors and unlawfully registered non-citizen voters," White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told the news outlet.
"The President has urged Congress to pass the SAVE Act and other legislative proposals that would establish a uniform standard of photo ID for voting, prohibit no-excuse mail-in voting, and end the practice of ballot harvesting."
Peter Ticktin, a Florida lawyer who supports the draft executive order, told the Post that "under the Constitution, it's the legislatures and states that really control how a state conducts its elections, and the president doesn't have any power to do that.
"But here we have a situation where the president is aware that there are foreign interests that are interfering in our election processes," he added.
"That causes a national emergency where the president has to be able to deal with it."
Article I, Section 4 of the Constitution assigns responsibility for regulating elections to the states and Congress, and legal scholars note that any attempt to impose sweeping federal election changes by executive order would almost certainly face immediate court challenges.
A 2021 U.S. intelligence community review concluded that while China considered efforts to influence the 2020 election, it did not carry them out.
Still, Trump has continued to question the result of the 2020 contest and has said further action may be necessary to restore public confidence in the electoral system.
"White House staff is regularly in communication with a variety of outside advocates who want to share their policy ideas with the President. Any speculation about policies the President may or may not announce is just that — speculation," a White House spokesman told Newsmax in a statement.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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