Dave Rubin slams Dems' hypocrisy on 'SAVE Act' ahead of midterms: 'Make Trump sound moderate now'

WASHINGTON, DC: Conservative commentator Dave Rubin accused Democrats of political hypocrisy over the 'SAVE Act', arguing that party leaders reversed long-held positions on immigration and voter security as they looked toward the 2026 midterm elections.

Speaking on his podcast 'The Rubin Report', Rubin said that Democratic messaging on the issue directly contradicted statements made by senior figures two decades ago.

Dave Rubin questions Democrats' hypocrisy on voter IDs

“I just don’t understand at this point. They are so exposed every which way,” Rubin said, pointing to what he described as stark reversals by prominent Democrats.

He singled out Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, saying Schumer was arguing “the complete reverse of what he said 20 years ago” on immigration and election security.

In a 2009 interview on 'Meet the Press', Schumer argued that undocumented immigrants needed to be deported and supported strong border enforcement before any pathway to legal status.

He repeatedly warned that lax immigration policy undermined American workers and public confidence in government.

Today, Schumer is leading Democratic opposition to the 'SAVE Act', warning that it would “disenfranchise millions” and vowing that every Senate Democrat will vote against any bill containing it.

Schumer has even said that the 'SAVE Act' is like Jim Crow laws.

Rubin’s charge of hypocrisy stems from this contrast: A lawmaker who once emphasized enforcement and public confidence now rejected voter-security arguments as illegitimate or dangerous.

Rubin also invoked former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, arguing that their past rhetoric on immigration enforcement would today be considered far more restrictive than that of President Donald Trump.

“Hillary and Bill Clinton make Trump sound moderate now relative to what they were saying 20 years ago on immigration,” Rubin said.

The Clintons' 1990s–2000s immigration posture included support for restrictive measures such as the 'Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act' (IIRIRA).

The 'IIRIRA' law included harsh deportation bars and restrictions, which many modern Democrats now criticize.

Republican Anna Paulina on Democrats' midterm strategy

The discussion on the podcast focused on the 'SAVE Act', a Republican-backed proposal that centered on voter eligibility and election integrity.

Democrats have broadly opposed the legislation, warning that it could suppress turnout and disproportionately affect marginalized voters. 

Rubin was joined on the podcast by Florida Republican representative Anna Paulina, who argued that Democratic leaders were driven primarily by polling and electoral strategy.

According to Paulina, party officials were struggling to justify their opposition to voter identification and election security measures to their own supporters.

“They’re only looking at polling, and they’re looking at what they can do to lie to their voters to get them through the election cycle,” Paulina said.

She claimed that Democrats were facing particular difficulty explaining why they opposed voter ID, noting that surveys consistently showed broad public support for such measures, including among Democratic voters. 

“We know that over 70% of Democrats want that,” she said, describing voter ID as a “wildly popular issue,” comparable to proposals such as banning insider trading by lawmakers.

Paulina also suggested that Democrats viewed the 'SAVE Act' as a midterm campaign tool, arguing that opposition to the bill could help mobilize their base ahead of 2026.

“They wanna play this in the midterms so they can impeach Trump all over again,” she said.