Former Republican strategist Rick Wilson warned Friday that just because the SAVE Act has died, it doesn't mean that the MAGA coalition won't make a desperate attempt to interfere in upcoming midterms.
The Lincoln Project co-founder described in his Substack what could come next after President Donald Trump's legislation to mandate voter ID and ban mail-in ballots failed. And while Republicans couldn't pass "a fake bill designed to solve a fake problem," a group of pro-Trump activists have started circulating a 17-page draft executive order that claims China interfered with the 2020 election and suggests that is why the president should "declare a 'national emergency' based on these rancid, debunked lies."
"But here’s the thing about the Trump ecosystem: when the law fails them, they turn to the decree, the executive order, the extraordinary and previously unknown executive power. When the Constitution gets in the way, they reach for the Sharpie," Wilson explained.
The move has signaled the Republican Party's concerns ahead of November. And although Trump will try to intimidate voters, he doesn't have the constitutional authority to control state-run elections.
"They are terrified of 2026," Wilson wrote. "They know that in a fair fight, where people can actually vote without being harassed or suppressed by federal decree, they are in deep trouble. So, they’re going for the 'break glass in case of impending electoral defeat' option. They are trying to build a legal and administrative infrastructure that allows them to ignore the voters entirely."
MAGA will attempt to take extreme measures because they "know their grip on power is slipping," Wilson argued.
"Hang on tight," Wilson wrote. "The people who couldn’t pass the SAVE Act are about to try something much more dangerous. They think they can cancel the Constitution with a 'National Emergency' sticker. They’re wrong. But they’re going to break a lot of things trying to prove they’re right."