Democratic Sen Adam Schiff accuses Trump of plotting midterm election subversion
WASHINGTON, DC: Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif) leveled a serious accusation against President Donald Trump on Sunday, February 8, stating that the president intended to "subvert" the upcoming midterm elections.
Speaking on ABC News’ 'This Week', Schiff claimed that if the administration lost its congressional majority this fall, the president was prepared to go to "lawless lengths" to overturn the results.
Schiff’s warnings came amid a backdrop of escalating federal activity, including a January 28 FBI raid on a Fulton County election office where 2020 voting records were seized.
The senator suggested that Trump’s inability to move past his 2020 loss in Georgia was driving a broader strategy to nationalize federal elections.
Adam Schiff claims Trump's ego drives fraud claims
The California senator argued that the president's aggressive rhetoric regarding voter fraud was a reaction to his administration's general unpopularity.
A Quinnipiac University poll released last week showed that the president had a 37% approval rating, with 56% of voters disapproving of his performance.
“He hasn’t brought prices down. There’s chaos and killing in American streets by ICE agents,” Schiff told anchor Jonathan Karl, claiming that the public had "turned against" the president.
Schiff asserted that Trump’s ego couldn't "stand another loss," leading him to preemptively claim that any Democratic victory this fall would be the result of cheating.
Republicans push for 'SAVE America Act'
While Democrats warned of subversion, Republicans in Congress moved to pass the 'SAVE America Act' to address what they described as "documented" registration risks.
The bill would require proof of citizenship, such as a passport or birth certificate, for all federal voter registrations.
A key provision of the act would require registrants to appear in person to verify their citizenship.
Notably, the bill would not allow the use of a driver's license for this verification, a requirement that Democrats claimed would disenfranchise millions of eligible citizens who did not possess a passport.
Adam Schiff rejects Photo ID compromise
When asked if there was room for a bipartisan compromise, such as a law requiring a standard photo ID to vote, Schiff stated he would remain opposed.
He argued that even a basic photo ID requirement was designed to "suppress the vote" of those who lacked the necessary documentation.
However, public opinion reportedly appeared at odds with the senator's stance. An August 2025 Pew Research Center poll found that 83% of US adults supported requiring a photo ID to vote, including 95% of Republicans and 71% of Democrats.
Schiff dismissed these figures, maintaining that any such law would still disenfranchise legitimate citizen voters.
Adam Schiff calls voter massive voter turnout 'best protection'
Schiff concluded by stating that he did not trust his Republican colleagues in Congress to check any attempts to overturn the 2026 results.
Instead, he placed his trust in the American electorate to "mobilize the largest voter turnout in US history" to ensure a result that could not be challenged.
“The best protection we have is to ... so overwhelm the vote ... so that there’s no way they can cheat,” Schiff said.
The FBI invited election officials nationwide to a call to discuss "preparations" for the midterms, as both parties braced for a possibly contentious election cycle.
