With Election Day less than 50 days away, concerns have mounted that the Trump administration might use the National Guard or federal law‑enforcement agents to influence the vote, a move barred by federal law and the Posse Comitatus Act.
Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Steven Lepper, a member of the Former Judge Advocates Working Group, warned that the president’s dwindling options could lead him to invoke the Insurrection Act, especially after an executive order labeling antifa a terrorist organization.
In March, Democratic members of the Senate Armed Services Committee asked Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander of U.S. Northern Command, for assurances; Guillot said he understands the law and would scrutinize any order, adding he does not think troops should be near polling places.
The Democratic National Committee has sued the administration for failure to comply with Freedom of Information Act requests for records on ballot‑seizing plans, and Sen. Elissa Slotkin has pressed military leaders for guarantees against troop deployment.
A recently released internal DHS memo outlines a method to deputize National Guard members as immigration‑enforcement officers, which watchdogs say could be used to justify a deployment to polling sites, though the memo does not explicitly mention elections.
When asked in May whether he would deploy the National Guard or ICE agents, President Trump said he would do “anything necessary” to ensure “honest elections,” but the White House declined to comment further.
Deploying federal troops to polling places would be illegal and likely trigger immediate court challenges, but experts note that such challenges can take time, leaving the risk of irreversible interference.
Election officials across the country say they are prepared to administer the vote as usual and are warning voters about potential armed presence, while the administration maintains that no such operations are planned.