Trump’s ‘longtime friend’ wants White House to take control of midterm elections via emergency order: Report | Today’s news
Peter Ticktin, a longtime friend and lawyer of US President Donald Trump, is urging the White House to declare a national emergency ahead of the 2026 election, arguing — without publicly available evidence — that foreign interference in the 2020 election justifies massive federal intervention.
He claims the Democrats plan to remove Trump
Ticktin, an 80-year-old Florida lawyer who describes himself as Trump’s “best friend” since childhood at the New York Military Academy, says Democrats plan to pick up enough congressional seats in the midterms to impeach both Trump and Vice President JD Vance, allowing House Speaker Hakee Jeffries to become president.
Apply for federal review of midterms
Amid Trump’s frustration that Congress has not passed the SAVE America Act, which would have imposed stricter voter ID requirements, Ticktin is among a group of Trump allies advocating for an executive order that would effectively place the upcoming midterms under greater federal scrutiny. The proposal calls for a national emergency to be declared based on alleged foreign interference through electronic voting devices.
It cites allegations of foreign interference
In an interview with CNN, Ticktin claimed that evidence proving foreign manipulation of the 2020 election would soon be made public. He claimed that Venezuela, China, Iran and other countries were involved, and suggested that evidence emerge from the Trump administration’s prosecution of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
“With the evidence we have and with the evidence that will become available, there will be no doubt about that,” Ticktin said, calling the alleged interference “covert preemption by the country.”
No evidence supports the 2020 election claim
However, nearly six years after the 2020 election, no public evidence has emerged to support claims that foreign governments tampered with voting machines or altered election results.
A 2021 U.S. intelligence assessment found that while Russia, China, Iran, and Venezuela sought to influence public opinion around the election, no foreign government attempted to alter voter registration systems, ballots, vote tabulation, or reported results. Separate investigations by the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security also found no credible evidence that foreign actors compromised U.S. election infrastructure.
Ticktin said he speaks with Trump several times a year and stays in touch with Justice Department officials. However, a White House official told CNN that Ticktin is overstating his relationship with the president and not influencing the administration’s election or election policy.
