'Unless you want to cheat': Trump cites 278,000 noncitizens on voter rolls, demands SAVE Act

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump used a primetime address on Thursday, July 16, to renew his push for the SAVE America Act, urging Americans to pressure Congress after a Department of Homeland Security review identified approximately 278,000 noncitizens registered to vote in federal elections.

Trump argued the findings underscored the need for stricter federal election safeguards, calling on lawmakers to pass the legislation immediately. The SAVE Act would require documentary proof of US citizenship to register to vote, photo identification to cast a ballot in federal elections, and additional measures aimed at removing noncitizens from voter rolls.

Trump urges Congress to pass SAVE Act after DHS voter roll review

"To all Americans, I ask you to pick up your phone tomorrow, call your representatives in the House and Senate, and demand that they pass the SAVE America Act without delay," Trump said, framing the legislation as the essential response to what he described as a systemic vulnerability in the country's election infrastructure.

Trump also left little doubt about how he views those who oppose the measure.

"How easy is that to do? Unless you want to cheat," he said.

"The only reason you wouldn't do it is you want to cheat because your policies are so bad, and your candidates are so pathetic that you can't get away or can't get elected any other way."

The SAVE Act, which passed the House earlier this year but stalled in the Senate, would require documentary proof of US citizenship to register to vote in federal elections, photo identification to cast a ballot, and additional measures aimed at removing noncitizens from voter rolls.

Trump has previously used the legislation as leverage in other negotiations, announcing he would withhold his signature from a bipartisan housing affordability bill unless the Senate moved on the SAVE Act.

That strategy did not produce the desired result, with the housing bill ultimately becoming law without Trump's signature.

Trump says DHS review found 278,000 noncitizens on voter rolls

Trump said Thursday that a Department of Homeland Security review identified approximately 278,000 noncitizens registered to vote in federal elections and announced his administration will notify states and help them remove ineligible voters from the rolls.

Citing DHS findings, Trump said the review compared state voter rolls with public records and found "more than a quarter of a million" noncitizens registered to vote, while arguing the true number could be higher because some states declined to share voter files.

Trump announced that Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin will hold a briefing Friday on what the administration described as cyber vulnerabilities in electronic voting systems. He also said DHS has been directed to notify states of noncitizens on their voter rolls and assist with securing election systems ahead of the November midterm elections.

Earlier this week, DHS sent letters to election officials in California, New Jersey, Nevada, and Pennsylvania identifying what the department described as preliminary matches between voter registration records and federal immigration data.

DHS asked the states to verify the identities before taking any action to remove voters from the rolls.

Thursday's address was part of a broader primetime event the administration billed as a major election security speech.

Trump also used the address to reiterate long-running claims about the integrity of past elections, saying concerns about foreign interference and noncitizen voting demanded structural changes to how Americans register and vote before the 2026 midterm elections.