Trump allies discuss martial law if they believe November’s midterms are rigged. No evidence supports widespread fraud claims.
Allies and activists close to U.S. President Donald Trump have discussed martial law and other extraordinary measures if they believe the November midterm elections are rigged, according to an investigation published by Axios on October 16. The proposals include seizing ballots and election equipment, pausing the election and using emergency powers to force changes to how states conduct voting. The discussions reflect concerns voiced by activists about alleged election fraud, but no evidence has been presented to support claims that widespread fraud will affect the upcoming election.
Attorney Peter Ticktin, a longtime friend of Trump, said during a September 30 video call involving election activists that martial law would be necessary in the event of what he described as another rigged election. Ticktin also suggested that ballots and election equipment could be taken into custody to investigate alleged irregularities, Axios reported. Gregory Stenstrom, who has previously made claims about voting irregularities in Pennsylvania, proposed pausing the election or invoking the National Emergencies Act to compel changes to state election procedures.
The call also included Tina Peters, a former Colorado county clerk who was convicted in 2024 of offences connected to a breach of election equipment. Her prison sentence was commuted by Colorado Governor Jared Polis earlier this year. Peters has advocated replacing electronic voting systems with hand-marked paper ballots and conducting manual recounts where possible. Axios reported that Peters and Ticktin had met Trump at the White House in June and that Peters met with him again in October. Their meetings do not establish that Trump has accepted or approved the proposals.
The proposals have raised questions about the limits of presidential authority over federal elections. Derek Tisler, counsel for the Brennan Center for Justice’s elections and government programme, told Axios that emergency powers do not give a president unrestricted authority. Congress sets the date of federal elections, while states administer voting systems and determine how votes are counted under applicable federal law. Tisler said martial law would not give Trump the power to unilaterally postpone the midterms, impose a nationwide manual recount or override state and federal election laws.
The White House, responding to Axios, said Americans deserve elections that are safe, secure and transparent. Spokesperson Lauren Bis said Trump believes every legal vote must count and that elections must be protected so Americans can have confidence in their integrity. The statement did not indicate that the president had endorsed the specific proposals discussed during the activists’ call.
The debate comes as political figures who continue to question the results of the 2020 presidential election remain active in discussions about election administration. Common Dreams and The Telegraph also reported on calls from Trump-aligned figures for extraordinary intervention if Republicans face losses in November. However, discussion among activists is not evidence that the administration has decided to impose martial law, suspend the election or seize election materials. No such order has been announced in the reporting cited here.
This report is based on reporting by Axios, The Telegraph and Common Dreams, published October 16–17, 2026.