Moore warns Trump may use federal power to sway midterms

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said Donald Trump could try to use federal power to influence the 2026 midterm elections, warning that the administration might seek to limit mail voting and polling access. Moore said he was “very concerned” and argued that the National Governors Association should help states protect elections.

The warning lands as Trump has stepped up his own focus on election rules. On July 15, NPR reported that Trump was preparing a primetime address centered on elections after escalating calls for Republicans to pass tighter federal voting rules before November’s midterms. NBC News also reported that Trump had discussed an executive order to eliminate mail-in voting, a move election-law experts said would likely run into court because the Constitution gives states responsibility over elections.

Those limits matter because the federal government does have several pressure points, even if it cannot simply take over state-run voting systems. A president can amplify law-enforcement rhetoric, direct agencies to scrutinize election-related programs, and use the bully pulpit to try to shape public confidence in the vote. Trump’s push has already included Executive Order 14248, titled “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections,” which the White House issued on March 25, 2025.

Election watchdogs say that pattern goes beyond campaign-season noise. The Brennan Center for Justice published a February 2026 timeline describing Trump administration actions as part of a concerted strategy to interfere with elections, and States United Democracy Center released “The Threats to the Midterm Elections” on May 21, 2026, warning about election threats heading into the midterms.

For states, the institutional defense still starts with their own election machinery. Maryland and other states have been debating election security and voting safeguards as the 2026 cycle approaches, and Moore’s call for the governors’ association reflects how much of the resistance to federal pressure would rest with governors, election administrators and courts. If Trump tries to move through an executive order or agency directive, the first line of pushback is likely to be the state-run structure of American elections itself.