Trump says he will seek to require voter ID for midterms regardless of Congress

WASHINGTON, Feb 13 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that he would seek to impose voter identification requirements for the November midterm elections whether Congress approves them or not, without explaining the legal rationale underlying his assertion.

Trump added that he plans to issue an executive order on the matter, without providing details. The Republican president is backing a House-passed bill that would require proof of citizenship to vote in U.S. elections, which is not expected to advance in the Senate. 

The bill is the latest version of election legislation that first emerged during the 2024 presidential campaign, driven by Trump’s false claims that his 2020 election defeat was caused by large-scale voter fraud. A similar measure passed the House twice – last April and in 2024 – only to die in the Senate.

“I have searched the depths of Legal Arguments not yet articulated or vetted on this subject, and will be presenting an irrefutable one in the very near future!,” Trump said on Truth Social.

Under the U.S. Constitution, state governments oversee elections, not the federal government, and most contests are administered by county and local officials.

Trump’s Republicans hold narrow majorities in the House of Representatives and Senate. Incumbent presidents’ parties typically lose seats in Congress in midterm elections.

(Reporting by Christian Matinez, Ismail Shakil, Daphne Psaledakis and Jasper Ward; editing by Scott Malone and Chris Sanders)