WASHINGTON — Former Republican Congressman Joe Walsh issued a scathing indictment of President Donald Trump on Friday, labeling him an “enemy of this country” for what Walsh describes as a decade-long campaign to dismantle the integrity of the American electoral process.
The remarks, delivered during a Friday episode of his podcast The Social Contract, come as the White House reportedly reviews a draft executive order that would declare a national emergency to seize control of the 2026 midterm elections. The proposed order, documented in a 17-page draft currently circulating among administration allies, seeks to ban mail-in voting and mandate federal voter ID requirements by citing unsubstantiated claims of Chinese interference in the 2020 election.
“What do you call someone who is at war with our elections process?” Walsh demanded. “What do you call someone who tries to delegitimize America’s elections? Someone who attacked our elections would be an enemy of this country.”
The Midterm ‘Emergency’ Strategy
The escalation in rhetoric follows the President’s Tuesday State of the Union address, where he pressured Congress to pass the SAVE America Act. The legislation aims to nationalize voter ID laws and restrict mail-in ballots, which Trump has labeled “vectors of foreign interference.”
However, with the bill facing a likely Democratic filibuster in the Senate, reports from The Washington Post and Democracy Docket indicate the administration is preparing a unilateral path. The draft executive order reportedly relies on the National Emergencies Act (NEA) and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to bypass state-run election authorities.
Legal experts have largely dismissed the strategy as “blatantly unconstitutional.”
“The President has no authority over the administration of state elections,” noted one analysis from the Institute for Responsive Government. “Any attempt to seize voting machines or ban mail ballots would be a direct violation of federal law.”
A ‘Blue Tsunami’ Warning
Walsh, a former Tea Party favorite who voted for Trump in 2016 before becoming a vocal critic, argued that the President is “laying the seeds” to delegitimize the 2026 results because he fears a “GOP slaughter” at the polls.
“He’s laying the groundwork, baby,” Walsh said. “So that when he loses… he’ll completely delegitimize the election. This is what he did in 2020, which got us January 6th. He’s doing the same thing here.”
Walsh further noted that while he previously resisted comparisons between Trump and historical dictators, he now sees “similarities” in the President’s desire for absolute control.
What’s Next for the 2026 Cycle
The 2026 midterm primaries are already underway, with early voting having commenced in states like Texas and North Carolina. If the President signs the rumored executive order, it would likely trigger an immediate constitutional crisis, pitting the executive branch against state governors and the federal court system.
White House officials have declined to comment on the specific draft but maintained that the President is committed to “accurate and up-to-date voter rolls.”
