'Oh, my lord!' Michael Steele erupts over 'ignorant' Trump admin's election 'claptrap'

MS NOW host Michael Steele erupted on Thursday's broadcast of "The Weeknight" while discussing what he described as the Trump administration's "claptrap" about the 2026 midterm elections.

Steele discussed the Trump administration's efforts to eliminate mail-in voting with panelists Angelo Carusone, CEO of Media Matters, and Janai Nelson of the Legal Defense Fund. Steele noted the apparent irony in the effort, considering that President Donald Trump has voted by mail in every election since he moved to the White House.

Steele, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, was astounded by the efforts. He noted that mail-in voting was one of the key ways Republicans got support from senior citizens.

"How do you think we reached them?" Steele said, staring straight at the camera. "We sent them a mail-in ballot, and they mailed it in! And they voted for your dumb self."

"Oh, they are so ignorant," Steele continued. "Oh, my lord! They're so ignorant."

Steele then turned to Carusone and shared his condolences for having to listen to people like Trump parrot negative talking points about mail-in voting.

"I don'tknow how you do this, brother," Steele said. "I don't know howyou do it, listening to this claptrap all daylong."

Steele's comments came at a time when the Trump administration is facing significant scrutiny for its abrupt decision to delay signing an overwhelmingly popular housing bill until Trump's signature election reforms are passed. The SAVE America Act, which Trump has attempted to bully Congress into supporting, would fundamentally reshape American elections, including getting rid of mail-in voting.