President Donald Trump declared Friday night that Republicans could avoid election defeats for the next century if Congress approves the SAVE America Act, using a patriotic Independence Day speech to renew his push for stricter voting requirements and criticize communism.
Speaking a day ahead of Independence Day at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, Trump addressed a crowd while warning about what he described as “the communist menace in our land.” He vowed that the United States would never embrace communism before shifting his focus to election legislation that has become one of his top priorities.
“America will never be a communist country,” Trump said before highlighting the SAVE America Act. The legislation would require voters to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote and present photo identification when casting a ballot.
Trump argued that Republicans have control over their own political future and suggested the party’s electoral fortunes depend on passing the measure.
“We can only lose the midterms if we allow ourselves to lose the midterms if we are foolish, stupid, and unwise,” Trump said.
The president went on to call for ending the Senate filibuster in order to move the legislation forward, saying Republicans should “terminate the filibuster as we should do and immediately vote for the SAVE America Act.”
Trump predicted that enacting the legislation would dramatically reshape future elections.
“Then we will not lose an election for a hundred years,” he said. “We do that, we’re not gonna lose an election for a hundred years.”
During the speech, Trump also criticized communism and those he said promote it, while linking the ideology to illegal immigrants, criminals and people who do not want to work.
“The communist party is made up of illegal immigrants, criminals, and everybody that doesn’t want to work,” Trump said. “Communism is a loser. It always was. And it is right now. It’s a big loser. Look at the people that are promoting it. They are not the people you are going to follow.”
Trump has repeatedly urged Senate Republicans to eliminate the chamber’s 60-vote threshold required to end debate on legislation. Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, meaning they could change the filibuster rule with a simple majority vote if enough members supported doing so.
However, Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota has stated that there are not enough Republican votes to abolish the longstanding Senate practice.
The president has continued pressing lawmakers to pass the SAVE America Act as part of his ongoing criticism of Democrats over the 2020 presidential election, which Trump has repeatedly claimed was rigged against him.
Trump also made similar accusations earlier this year during his State of the Union address in February, where he argued that Democrats rely on cheating to win elections.
“The only way they can get elected is to cheat,” Trump said during that speech.
Friday’s remarks at Mount Rushmore underscored Trump’s continued emphasis on election integrity legislation while calling on Senate Republicans to take action on one of his signature legislative priorities.
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