Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks next to recently confirmed Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Robert Cekada during a press conference at the Justice Department in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 29, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stunned political analysts and observers on Sunday with a strange argument in defense of President Donald Trump's election scheme.
Blanche discussed some of the major election changes the Trump administration is pushing for, including adding nationwide voter ID laws, during an interview on "Meet the Press" on Sunday morning. Blanche argued that having voter ID laws is a common-sense solution to cases of alleged voter fraud, but his reasoning left many with their jaws on the floor.
"There are a lot of things we can be doing, like voter ID," Blanche said. "Every time you walk into a restaurant or a club, you have to show your ID. How about you have to show your ID to vote? That's not anything that's crazy, and that is what we should be talking about."
Voter ID has been a central part of Trump's push to revamp America's election system through his SAVE Act. According to the Campaign Legal Center, the law would institute voter ID laws that are "more burdensome than almost every single state voter ID law currently in effect."
Analysts and observers reacted to Blanche's comments on social media.
"How is this real life?" Fox News host Jessica Tarlov asked on X.
"Maybe he is used to dining at exclusive members-only clubs, but the rest of us don’t have to show ID to walk into a restaurant," the left-leaning news outlet MeidasTouch Network posted on X.
"Wut?" ex-GOP strategist Rick Wilson posted on X.
"I hate when I forget my driver's license when I go to Chili’s," former Republican lawmaker Adam Kinzinger posted on X.