Terrified by the likelihood of losing the Republican majority in the House and facing the prospect of impeachment, Trump is determined to steal the midterm election by any means, however menacing or unconstitutional they may be, to deprive the Democrats of their nearly assured victory. The Democrats must be fully prepared to push back against any attempt by Trump to influence the midterm results in his favor. By staying alert and prepared, they can also prevent any violence that might arise from his malicious plans.

Trump’s recent statements and actions reveal a clear plan for what he’s plotting and how he’s setting the stage to hijack the midterm election. The Democrats need to take heed and counter his maneuvering before time runs out.

Seeking Redistricting to Gain More Seats in Red States
Trump has aggressively pushed mid-decade redistricting in GOP-controlled states to lock in a larger Republican House majority ahead of the 2026 midterms, even over racial gerrymandering objections and Democratic walkouts. In June 2025, the Trump administration called on Republican leaders in Texas to rework the state’s legislative districts to flip current Democratic districts to Republican control. Trump continues to pressure the governors of other Red states to follow Texas’s lead.

Calling for Nationalizing US Elections
Trump has publicly urged Republicans to “nationalize” elections, pressing for far greater federal control over how states run voting, framed as combating fraud but viewed by experts as an unprecedented centralization of election authority. Trump stated that, “The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over.’ We should take over the voting; there is voting in at least 15 places. The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting.”

Calling for Proof of Citizenship as a Voting Requirement
Trump has coupled his fraud narrative with an executive order and legislative push to require documentary proof of citizenship to register or vote in federal elections, a measure voting rights groups warn would disenfranchise many eligible voters. At the signing of this executive order, Trump said, “We’ve got to straighten out our elections… the fake elections and the bad elections, we’re going to straighten that out one way or the other.”

Reigniting the “Stolen Election” Narrative
Trump has continuously repeated false claims that the 2020 election was rigged or stolen, using speeches, Truth Social posts, and commemorations of January 6 to keep the narrative alive and to justify new restrictions and interventions around voting. Speaking with congressional Republicans on January 6, 2026, Trump again insisted that “The election was rigged,” portraying Democrats as having “staged the real insurrection by certifying a fraud-ridden election.”

Using ICE Deployments to Intimidate Voters
Although it is a federal crime for the military or federal agents to interfere in elections or intimidate voters, Trump and close allies have floated or encouraged the idea of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) presence near polling sites, amplifying fears—especially among immigrant communities—of targeted enforcement and voter intimidation during the midterms. An explicit quote comes from key ally Steve Bannon, signaling the Trump camp’s intent: “You’re damn right we’re gonna have ICE surround the polls come November. We’re not gonna sit here and allow you to steal the country again.”

The Democratic leaders have their work cut out for them. They face a resolute president willing to illegally exploit federal power. To ensure that the election remains free, fair, and peaceful, Democrats must be prepared to take every step to protect our democracy, including:

1. Support state legislation explicitly barring ICE and all federal immigration enforcement from operating in or near polling locations, backed by clear civil and criminal penalties for violations.
2. Massively fund and coordinate litigation teams (DNC, civil rights groups, state Attorneys General) that are prepared to seek immediate Temporary Restraining Orders and injunctions against intimidation, ballot seizures, or federal overreach on Election Day.3. Expand robust, multilingual voter protection hotlines and rapid response networks, especially in Black and Latino communities, to document incidents, dispatch lawyers and trained monitors, and publicize abuses in real time.
4. Recruit, train, and deploy tens of thousands of poll workers and Democratic poll monitors, especially in high-risk precincts, to observe, record, and challenge any intimidation or unlawful interference.
5. Negotiate binding Election Day operational agreements with local officials and law enforcement that bar cooperation with ICE at or near polling places and prioritize voter access.
6. Run intensive, targeted public education campaigns in diverse media outlets in targeted languages explaining voter rights, what constitutes illegal intimidation, and exactly how to safely report and resist suppression attempts.
7. Strengthen the federal Voting Rights Act, anti-intimidation statutes, and clear rules on armed presence near polls, through ballot initiatives where possible.
8. Build pre-election “war rooms” to track disinformation, coordinate rapid debunking of stolen election claims, and push clear reassurances that every lawful ballot will be counted and defended.
9. Aggressively challenge partisan purges, restrictive ID rules, and polling place closures that disproportionately affect Black and Latino voters, using data-driven evidence and emergency court filings.
10. Prepare contingency plans with community organizations for safe transportation, early vote mobilization, and absentee voting in areas where ICE or other intimidation efforts may depress in-person turnout.

It cannot be said enough that the outcome of the midterm election is fateful for the Democrats, but even more so for the country. It is hard to imagine what shape the country will be in if the Republicans maintain control of the House and the Senate for the following two years.  Trump will be in an even more formidable position to entrench his authoritarian agenda by further dismantling our democratic foundations and obliterating what remains of America’s constitutional integrity.

This midterm election, I dare say, is do-or-die for the Democrats. There is no room for error. They must rise in unison, leave nothing to chance, and follow the example of existentialists like Sartre, who often argue that actions, not wishful thinking, define outcomes.

Dr. Alon Ben-Meir is a retired professor of international relations, most recently at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU. He taught courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies.