• Trump questions whether National Guard was sophisticated enough to detect Democratic cheating
• Comments refer to December 2020 Oval Office meeting where advisers pushed machine seizure plan
• President continues promoting conspiracy theories about Dominion Voting Systems

WASHINGTON, DC (TDR) — President Donald Trump said he regrets not ordering the National Guard to seize voting machines in swing states following his 2020 election loss, revisiting one of the most controversial proposals from his final days in office during that term.

“Well, I should have,” Trump told The New York Times in an interview last week when asked about the decision not to move forward with the plan. The president questioned whether military personnel possessed the sophistication necessary to uncover what he characterized as Democratic fraud schemes.

“I don’t know that they are sophisticated enough,” Trump said. “You know, they’re good warriors. I’m not sure that they’re sophisticated enough in the ways of crooked Democrats, and the way they cheat, to figure that out.”

December 2020 Oval Office Confrontation

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Trump’s comments refer to a heated December 18, 2020 meeting where outside advisers including attorney Sidney Powell and former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn urged the president to deploy military or federal law enforcement to seize machines manufactured by Dominion Voting Systems.

The advisers presented Trump with draft executive orders claiming to grant authority for the unprecedented action. The proposal would have involved using the military to take control of voting equipment in several states where Trump believed fraud occurred, then conducting recounts.

White House counsel Pat Cipollone and other senior aides vigorously opposed the plan during what witnesses described as a screaming match. They argued Trump lacked legal authority to seize the machines and quickly contacted other officials to convince him no evidence supported claims of Dominion interference.

Rejected by Trump’s Own Officials

Attorney General William Barr immediately rejected Trump’s inquiry about whether the Justice Department could seize voting machines, stating there was no probable cause to believe a crime had been committed.

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Trump also directed his personal attorney Rudolph Giuliani to ask high-ranking Department of Homeland Security officials if they could legally impound the equipment. DHS officials similarly rebuffed the request, telling congressional investigators they repeatedly informed Trump and his allies the government lacked authority for such action.

Former national security officials testified to federal grand juries that they warned Trump the proposal violated basic legal boundaries and democratic norms. “I was told we didn’t have any evidence of any voter machine fraud in the 2020 election,” former National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien told investigators about his response during the heated December meeting.

Dominion Conspiracy Theories Persist

Trump’s regret comes as he continues promoting false claims about Dominion Voting Systems, the target of conspiracy theories that machines were hacked to flip votes from Trump to President Joe Biden in 2020.

Last week, Trump reposted social media messages claiming Dominion machines were rigged against him. Last month, he sought to pardon Tina Peters, a former Colorado county clerk serving a nine-year prison sentence on state charges of tampering with Dominion equipment in an effort to prove election fraud.

Sidney Powell, who spearheaded the Dominion conspiracy campaign, faced $1.3 billion defamation lawsuits from the company. She later pleaded guilty to six misdemeanor charges in Georgia over efforts to overturn election results. Powell’s defense attorneys notably argued that “no reasonable person” would believe her election fraud claims were factual statements.

Dominion won massive settlements from conservative media outlets that promoted the false theories. Fox News paid $787.5 million in 2023, while Newsmax agreed to pay $67 million in 2025. Internal communications showed executives knew the claims were bogus even as they continued airing them.

Current National Guard Deployments

Trump has deployed National Guard troops extensively during his second term to cities he claims are overrun with crime, often over objections from state and local leaders who call the moves unlawful.

The president’s use of military force domestically has become the focus of multistate legal battles. In December, the Supreme Court ruled against Trump for deploying troops in the Chicago area, citing an 1878 law that bans using the military for domestic policing.

Trump has indicated willingness to invoke the Insurrection Act and federalize National Guard units when he deems it important. He recently stated he wants to “lead a movement” to eliminate digital voting machines before this year’s midterm elections.

Expansion of Presidential Powers

Since returning to office nearly a year ago, Trump has sought to expand executive authority and wield federal power against political opponents. In a recent New York Times interview, when asked what limits exist on his global power, Trump responded: “Yeah, there is one thing: My own morality.”

White House adviser Stephen Miller has described Trump’s approach as operating in “a real world that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power,” adding that “the future of the free world depends on America being able to assert ourselves and our interests without apology.”

Election security experts and federal officials have consistently stated the 2020 election was the most secure in American history, with no evidence of widespread fraud or voting machine manipulation. FBI Director Christopher Wray, a Trump appointee, testified under oath that the FBI found no coordinated national voter fraud effort.

Will Trump’s continued attacks on voting machines and promotion of election conspiracy theories undermine confidence in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections?

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