President Trump told a cheering crowd that Democrats have “more bullshit than any human beings on the planet” when it comes to their excuses for blocking voter ID laws, and the room erupted.
Quick Take
- President Trump mocked Democrats at a rally for their shifting excuses against voter ID requirements.
- Senate Democrats blocked a GOP amendment requiring photo ID for federal elections despite claiming to support the idea.
- Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer called the SAVE Act “Jim Crow 2.0” while insisting his real problem isn’t photo IDs.
- A poll found 71% of Democrat voters actually back a national voter ID rule, even as their leaders fight it.
Trump Fires Up Crowd Over Democrat Double-Talk
President Trump has spent months hammering Democrats on the campaign trail over voter ID, and his latest riff drew roaring applause. He told supporters Democrats “don’t want to have voter ID” and don’t want proof of citizenship either, adding bluntly that “they want to cheat”. The crowd’s reaction shows the issue still fires up the base heading into the midterms.
Trump has made this argument a centerpiece of his rally speeches for months, telling one Michigan crowd that Democrats “don’t want to have a thing called proof of citizenship,” and asking why anyone would oppose it unless they wanted to cheat the system. He’s repeated versions of this line at GOP retreats, congressional dinners, and Turning Point USA events, framing it as a simple, common-sense fix that Democrats refuse to accept.
Senate Democrats Block Amendment After Claiming Support
The rhetoric matches recent Senate action. Democrats blocked a Republican amendment to the SAVE Act that would have required photo identification to vote in federal elections, even after several Democrats publicly said they supported voter ID. Not one Democrat voted for the amendment. That gap between words and votes is exactly what conservatives point to when they call Democrat objections dishonest.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer insists his party isn’t against identification itself. “Our concern as Democrats is not with photo IDs,” he said. “Our concern is that this is a voter suppression measure”. Yet Schumer also branded the bill “Jim Crow 2.0,” warning it “could disenfranchise millions of American citizens”. Republicans argue that kind of language, paired with a vote against the actual amendment, exposes the real goal.
Polling Shows a Split Between Democrat Voters and Their Leaders
A February poll found nearly 71% of Democrat voters back a national voter ID requirement, even as their party’s leaders in Washington fight it “tooth and nail”. Schumer told CNN’s Jake Tapper that Senate Democrats “will not let it pass,” calling the proposal outrageous. That leaves rank-and-file Democrats badly out of step with their own leadership on an issue most Americans consider basic common sense.
Republican Senate Leader John Thune summed up the frustration many conservatives feel, saying Democrats only claim to support voter ID “just as long as the ID requirements in question are meaningless.” Trump has made a similar point for years, once telling a room of GOP senators that Democrats get “very embarrassed” when confronted on the issue in debates, because there’s no good answer for opposing it.
What Democrats and Researchers Say on the Other Side
Democrats do have a documented argument, even if conservatives find it unconvincing. They point to studies suggesting strict ID rules can lower turnout among minority and lower-income voters. One Journal of Politics study found voters lacking ID in 2016 were disproportionately Black and Latinx. FactCheck.org noted the two sides simply disagree on the numbers, with Schumer claiming the SAVE Act “could disenfranchise over 20 million American citizens” while Republicans dispute that any legitimate voter would be blocked.
Other research cuts the other way. A large nationwide study covering 2008 to 2018 found strict ID laws had “no negative effect on registration or turnout, overall or for any group defined by race, gender, age, or party affiliation.” That’s the study conservatives lean on to argue Democrat warnings are overblown scare tactics rather than real evidence of harm at the ballot box.
Why This Fight Matters Heading Into the Midterms
Voter ID keeps polling as a near-universal winner, with Trump citing figures showing support in the high 80s and 90s among voters of both parties. That’s why he keeps returning to it on stage, turning a policy debate into a simple test of whether Democrats trust the results of fair elections. Every time Senate Democrats vote down an ID amendment, it hands Trump and Republicans a fresh talking point going into November.
Sources:
thegatewaypundit.com, washingtontimes.com, rev.com, democrats.senate.gov, foxnews.com
