President Donald Trump signed a sweeping elections executive order on March 31, 2026, framing the action as a crackdown on what he called “legendary” cheating through mail-in voting. The order directs the U.S. Postal Service to assign unique barcodes to mail-in ballot envelopes and requires states to cross-reference federal data to purge ineligible voters from their rolls. White House attorney Will Scharf and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick joined Trump for the signing. The event quickly expanded well beyond election policy: Trump revealed that U.S. military operations against Iran could conclude within two to three weeks, dismissed a federal court order halting White House ballroom construction, announced plans to attend Supreme Court arguments on birthright citizenship the following day, and weighed in on gas prices, FEMA, drones over military bases, and the prospects for the SAVE America Act. Assistance from Claude AI.
Participants
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Donald Trump | President of the United States |
| Will Scharf | White House Counsel / Attorney |
| Howard Lutnick | Secretary of Commerce |
| Karoline Leavitt | White House Press Secretary (referenced by Trump) |
The Executive Order: What It Does
Will Scharf opened the briefing with a summary of the order’s two main targets.
The first problem, Scharf said, is inaccurate voter rolls — registration lists that include ineligible voters. The order directs federal agencies to share data with state election officials so they can verify the eligibility of every person on their rolls.
The second problem, in Scharf’s framing, is mail-in voting fraud. He described ballots being sent to people whose eligibility has not been confirmed, and ballots returned by people who aren’t eligible to vote. The order instructs the Postmaster General and the U.S. Postal Service to take new steps to verify that ballots are sent only to confirmed eligible voters — and that only eligible voters return them.
“We believe that, combined, the measures in this executive order will help secure elections in the future and ensure that the many abuses on our election system in the past aren’t repeated in future elections.” — Will Scharf
Lutnick Explains the Barcode System
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick described the mechanics of the order’s mail-in ballot reforms in practical terms.
Under the new system, states that want to use the U.S. mail for elections will receive a unique barcode from the Postal Service to place on each ballot envelope. This is designed to create a one-to-one match: one envelope per ballot. Lutnick said this eliminates the current uncertainty — no observers, no envelope tracking, no verification — and replaces it with a clear chain of custody.
“A million mail-in ballots, there’ll be a million envelopes, and you’ll be able to know exactly, correctly, that citizens voted.” — Howard Lutnick
CONTEXT FOR READERS: Mail-in (or absentee) voting has been a major flashpoint in American politics since the 2020 election, when its use expanded dramatically due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Republicans, led by Trump, have argued the system is prone to fraud; Democrats and independent election officials have generally said large-scale mail ballot fraud is rare and that the system includes adequate safeguards. The new executive order does not eliminate mail-in voting — it imposes new verification requirements on the process.
Trump on the Order: Cheating, Democrats, and Voter ID
Trump signed the order and spoke at length about his rationale, mixing policy arguments with broader political attacks.
He acknowledged the order might face legal challenges, saying: “You may find a rogue judge, got a lot of rogue judges, very bad, bad people.” But he expressed confidence it would withstand scrutiny — and said he doesn’t see how it can be challenged, given that it is “about voter integrity.”
Trump repeated calls for voter ID and proof of citizenship requirements, saying these are supported by 86 percent of voters including Democrats, and that the only reason Democratic leaders oppose them is to preserve the ability to cheat. He said “the leaders of the Democrats cheat and the only people that don’t want to do voter ID are people that cheat.”
He connected opposition to voter integrity measures with a broader Democratic agenda he opposes, including open borders, opposition to ICE, and support for transgender policies — arguing these positions are so unpopular that Democrats can only win by cheating.
He also called out Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer by name, describing him as “corrupt.”
Questions and Answers
Coast Guard / DHS Funding
A reporter asked whether Trump would use his authority to transfer Coast Guard control from the Department of Homeland Security to the Navy, given ongoing concerns about DHS funding — including in the context of operations in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump said no. He acknowledged having broad executive powers but said he reserves them for severe cases: “Sometimes you don’t have to use those powers. They’re a little severe, and then people accuse me of being a king.”
He pivoted to immigration, repeating claims that the Biden administration allowed 25 million people into the country, including criminals from nations that “emptied their prisons,” including the Democratic Republic of Congo.
TSA Payments vs. FEMA Funding
A reporter asked why Trump signed an executive order to pay TSA agents but has not done the same for FEMA and other DHS agencies.
Trump said he has “never been a big fan of FEMA,” describing it as expensive and inefficient. He said he prefers to let governors and neighboring states handle disaster response and provide financial support directly to states rather than routing it through the federal agency.
He cited Hurricane Helene recovery in North Carolina as an example of FEMA shortcomings, and mentioned that Elon Musk’s satellite communications system helped with coordination during that disaster.
CONTEXT FOR READERS: FEMA — the Federal Emergency Management Agency — is the federal government’s primary disaster response organization. It has faced criticism from both parties over the years for slow or inadequate responses to major disasters, including Hurricane Katrina (2005) and Hurricane Helene (2024). Trump has previously floated the idea of restructuring or eliminating FEMA in favor of state-led responses.
Iran War: Timeline and Regime Change
This was the most significant policy disclosure of the event. A reporter asked about the Iran military operation’s effect on gas prices, which the reporter noted had hit $4 per gallon.
Trump’s response: He said the U.S. will be leaving Iran “very soon” — estimating two to three weeks — and predicted that gas prices will “come tumbling down” once American forces withdraw. He also noted that stock prices rose that day because markets sense the conflict is nearing its end.
Trump described the military campaign in sweeping terms:
- He said the U.S. has carried out regime change in Iran — not as a stated goal, but as an outcome. He said Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei “is no longer with us” and that a second regime has also been removed.
- He said the new Iranian leadership is “much more reasonable” and “much less radicalized.”
- He said the goal of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon has been achieved.
- He said Iran now has no navy, no military, no air force, no telecommunications, no anti-aircraft systems, and no leaders.
- He said the U.S. struck missile manufacturing facilities the previous night.
- He said it would take Iran 15 to 20 years to rebuild what has been destroyed.
On whether Iran needs to make a deal for the U.S. to end operations:
“Iran doesn’t have to make a deal, no… When we feel that they are, for a long period of time, put into the stone ages, and they won’t be able to come up with a nuclear weapon, then we’ll leave.” — Trump
He also described Iranian ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, said the U.S. cleared “radicalized lunatics” along the strait, and said future navigation of the strait will be the responsibility of other nations — including France and China.
On a follow-up question about Iran threatening U.S. technology companies (the reporter cited an IRGC warning targeting 18 companies including NVIDIA, Apple, and Microsoft if targeted assassinations of Iranian leaders continued): Trump was dismissive. “Most of those people are dead already,” he said, referring to Iranian leaders.
White House Ballroom Construction: Court Order Dismissed
A reporter asked about a federal judge’s order to stop construction of the White House ballroom.
Trump said the administration will appeal but argued the order doesn’t actually require them to stop. He read from the judge’s opinion, noting the judge said the administration may continue “construction and all of the things necessary” for the “safety and security of the White House and its grounds.”
Trump listed the ballroom’s security features — bulletproof and ballistic-proof glass up to 45 feet high, a drone-proof steel roof, secure air handling systems, bio-defense systems, bomb shelters, and a hospital — arguing all of it qualifies as presidential security infrastructure and therefore falls under the permitted construction.
On the underlying question of Congressional approval, Trump rejected the judge’s position flatly: “Many things have been built in the White House that haven’t gotten Congressional approval, especially when the money is being not put up by the taxpayer.”
He said the ballroom is being funded entirely through private donations — between $300 million and $400 million — from wealthy individuals and companies, with no taxpayer funds involved.
He added that presidents have wanted a proper ballroom for 150 years, citing the problem of hosting foreign leaders in a tent where rainwater can accumulate several inches deep.
He also took a shot at Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, calling him “Jerome ‘Too Late’ Powell” and “totally incompetent,” criticizing both his monetary policy and his management of the Fed’s own building renovation project.
Drones Over Military Installations
A reporter raised concerns about drone swarms over sensitive U.S. military installations in recent weeks, specifically mentioning an incident at Barksdale Air Force Base.
Trump said he doesn’t believe it’s another country’s military. He said the U.S. has “unbelievable anti-drone weaponry” and that drone incidents have dropped significantly in the past several days. He highlighted laser systems as a particularly effective new defense tool.
On the Barksdale incident specifically, he said officials had investigated and “gotten to the bottom of it,” attributing drone activity largely to civilian operators.
On a separate but related note, a reporter asked about a viral video of Army helicopters hovering near Kid Rock’s house in Nashville; the Army had suspended the crews involved. Trump said they “probably shouldn’t have been doing it” but suggested they might have been fans of the musician. “I like Kid Rock,” he said.
Birthright Citizenship: Supreme Court Visit
A reporter noted that the Supreme Court was set to hear arguments the following day on Trump’s executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship — the longstanding interpretation that anyone born on U.S. soil is automatically an American citizen.
Trump confirmed he planned to attend in person.
He argued that birthright citizenship was never intended to benefit wealthy foreign nationals who travel to the U.S. to give birth, a practice sometimes called “birth tourism.” He said the 14th Amendment’s citizenship clause was enacted immediately after the Civil War specifically to protect the children of formerly enslaved people.
“It’s been so badly handled by legal people over the years… hopefully, it’s going to say — because our country is being scammed.” — Trump
He was also asked which justices he’ll be watching most closely. He declined to name names but made his views on judicial partisanship clear: he said justices appointed by Obama and Biden “almost without fail” rule against him regardless of the merits, while Republican-appointed justices sometimes rule against the president who appointed them in an attempt to appear nonpartisan — which Trump said some would call “stupidity” and some would call “disloyalty.”
CONTEXT FOR READERS: The 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, states that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.” Courts have interpreted this to mean that virtually anyone born on U.S. soil is automatically a citizen, regardless of the parents’ immigration status. Trump’s executive order challenged that interpretation; multiple courts have blocked it. The Supreme Court case centers not only on the substance of birthright citizenship but also on whether lower courts have the authority to issue nationwide injunctions blocking presidential orders.
SAVE America Act
A reporter asked whether Trump believes the SAVE America Act — legislation that would require proof of citizenship to vote and restrict mail-in ballots — can pass Congress.
Trump said he doesn’t know. He said Democrats are unified against it, meaning Republican leaders would need either a Democratic crossover vote or to eliminate the Senate filibuster. He expressed frustration that some Republicans are reluctant to end the filibuster, saying Democrats would do so “in the first hour” if they controlled the Senate.
He listed the bill’s components: proof of citizenship for voter registration, voter ID requirements, restrictions on mail-in voting (with exceptions for military, the sick, travelers, and the disabled), and provisions banning men in women’s sports and gender-affirming care for minors.
Trump argued these provisions poll at 90 to 99 percent support and said the Democratic convention required photo ID for entry, while New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani recently required two forms of photo ID for residents to sign up to shovel snow — making the Democratic opposition to voter ID hypocritical, in his view.
Trump Presidential Library
A reporter asked about a photo posted by Eric Trump showing the proposed Trump Presidential Library — described as a large skyscraper.
Trump said he wouldn’t begin building it until after leaving office. He said the library/museum will be located in Miami, on what he called “the best block in Miami,” developed in partnership with the state of Florida. He contrasted it with the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, which he called “not a good location” and “a very unattractive building that’s seriously late, and seriously over budget.”
He said the building will most likely include a hotel above the museum, and that the lobby will feature a Boeing 747 Air Force One.
Media Criticism
Trump closed with an extended critique of the American media, repeating claims that he received 93 to 97 percent negative press coverage yet won the 2024 election in a landslide — winning the popular vote, the Electoral College, and 86 percent of U.S. counties.
He said declining circulation at The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal reflects a loss of public trust, and that the papers’ coverage of the Iran conflict is particularly dishonest.
“When people don’t believe the press, that’s a very bad thing for our country.” — Trump
He ended by joking that Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt must be “doing a terrible job” if he only gets 93 to 97 percent bad press — then said he’d keep her.
Source
Trump, Donald. “Remarks: Donald Trump Signs an Executive Order on Elections.” Factbase / Roll Call, 31 Mar. 2026, factba.se.