The Trump administration is looking at suing multiple U.S. states ahead of or during the 2026 election.
Posted by Deadline: White House, Checked
- Sources
- 5 support
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 65%
Deadline: White HouseOct 22, 2026
Sources show the Justice Department was already suing or threatening multiple states (California, Alaska, and Washington) before Election Day, and Attorney General Blanche said there were "a number of states that we're looking at" for similar suits.
This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.
What was said
… You heard it in his words and in his hesitation. All of us have been caught off guard like that before, and he basically conceded that they're looking at multiple U.S. States to sue, either ahead of or during the election, for what, Nicole? To create the predicate to frustrate the peaceful transfer of power. But here's the thing: there was no surprise here. It's been a slow moving train wreck all year. …
Deadline: White House · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. Attorney General Todd Blanche told reporters that "there's a number of states that we're looking at" for lawsuits like the one against California, and said he would not rule out action before Election Day.[2]
Supports. Blanche said the DOJ might launch similar lawsuits to block other states from counting ballots, and the DOJ had already sued California over alleged noncitizen voters.[3]
Supports. The Justice Department sued Alaska to stop it from certifying its Senate results if the Republican incumbent loses, and Reuters reports the administration has taken other vote-related actions against multiple states.[1]
Supports. The DOJ threatened to sue Washington state over discounting ballots and suggested it may try similar moves in other states, per Votebeat and the ADN/AP-style report.[4][5]
Context. The claim's wording is slightly loose: the post said the AG 'basically conceded' they are looking at multiple states, which Blanche's on-record remark supports, though the statement came just after the posted date and some suits were filed later.[1][2]
Sources
5 sources: 1 fact-checker, 4 not rated
- 1Trump has no designs on taking over state elections, US attorney general saysreuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports, context
- 2It’s happening: From Alaska to California, the Trump administration is working to subvert the midtermsdemocracydocket.com · not rated · cited for: supports, context
- 3Trump administration ramps up election cases days before voting endsmetrowestdailynews.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 4Last minute Trump administration election challenges ... - Votebeatvotebeat.org · not rated · cited for: supports
- 5Trump administration retools its battle over elections to keep fights alive after Election Dayadn.com · not rated · cited for: supports
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- The Justice Department is discussing contingency plans to potentially intervene in the 2026 midterm elections.True
- The Department of Justice is preparing to send a record number of election monitors for the 2026 midterm elections.True
- The Trump administration sued the state of Alaska and its election officials to stop the certification of the US Senate election if Democrat Mary Peltola wins.True
- The Department of Justice plans to deploy 1,000 election monitors for the 2026 midterm elections.True
- Donald Trump attempted to rig the 2026 midterm elections.True