The federal government claimed there were 16,000 ineligible voters in Nevada, but the final count was zero.
Posted by The John Phillips Show, Checked
- Sources
- 2 contradict4 support
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 60%
The John Phillips ShowOct 17, 2026
The record supports that DHS first claimed nearly 16,000 noncitizens on Nevada's rolls and that Nevada found all 185 names DHS later identified were citizens, so the 'zero' reading has real support. However, DHS said it still had more than 14,000 Nevada voters needing additional review, so no source documents a final count of zero.
A detail. The sources confirm the gist; the verdict faults a detail such as a date, number or wording.
A played clip makes this claim. Listeners heard it, so it counts against the post.
What was said
… They just have a conclusory statement that these 20,000 people, when it was 190,000 before, without any explanation of why it was reduced to 20,000 and why the 20,000 even exists, and with the context of Nevada, where they claimed there were 16,000 ineligible voters, and they ended up being zero, without any explanation for that either. So, do we have our doubts? Yes. Are we suspect? Yes. Do we think they're acting in good faith? Absolutely not. Are people annoying when they ask themselves questions and then answer them? Yes. …
The John Phillips Show · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Contradicts. DHS still said it had more than 14,000 Nevada voters that 'need additional review,' so the federal government had not reached a final count of zero, and the 'zero' outcome is a press framing rather than a documented final tally.[1][2]
Supports. DHS initially announced it had found close to 16,000 (about 15,903) noncitizens on Nevada's voter list, which OPB and the Nevada Independent report, and the 16,000 figure is confirmed.[2][3][5]
Supports. Federal officials later called the ~16,000 number a 'ceiling' and narrowed their claim to 185 potential noncitizen voters; Nevada's deputy attorney general said its records show all 185 were citizens.[4][5][6]
Context. The New York Times headline 'From 16,000 to 185 to Zero' and reporting that the administration has not offered evidence of a single noncitizen on Nevada's rolls support the zero reading as a characterization.[1][4]
Sources
6 sources: 1 primary, 3 not rated, 2 tier 2
- 11 September 25, 2026 The Honorable Markwayne Mullin ...hsgac.senate.gov · primary source · cited for: contradicts, context
- 2DHS acknowledges the noncitizen numbers it touted on ...opb.org · not rated · cited for: contradicts, supports
- 3DHS concedes noncitizen voter numbers it touted are inflatednpr.org · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 4From 16,000 to 185 to Zero: Trump’s Claims of Illegal Voting ...nytimes.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports, context
- 5Trump admin quietly walks back claim of 16K noncitizens ...thenevadaindependent.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 6From 16,000 to 185 to zero: Trump’s claims of illegal voting in...inquirer.com · not rated · cited for: supports
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- The federal government failed to demonstrate that any of the 14,000 individuals they claimed were ineligible to vote in Nevada were actually ineligible.Mixed
- The federal government previously claimed 14,000 individuals on Nevada's voter rolls were ineligible to vote.Mixed
- The Department of Homeland Security identified 16,000 ineligible people on Nevada voter rolls, but could not demonstrate that any were ineligible.Mixed
- The Department of Homeland Security investigated 16,000 allegedly illegally registered non-citizens in Nevada in July 2026 and found zero cases.Mixed
- The Trump administration claimed 15,908 non-citizens were voting in Nevada, which was later reduced to 185, and all 185 were revealed to be citizens.True