New York University law professor Ryan Goodman said Thursday on CNN that President Donald Trump “can’t legally” nationalize elections, warning that anyone involved might already have committed a serious crime.
Goodman made his case on “OutFront” after The Washington Post reported that a group of MAGA activists drafted an executive order to accuse China of interfering in the 2020 elections as a pretext for declaring a national emergency for the 2026 midterms.
“He can’t legally do it, so I don’t think this survives first contact with the courts,” Goodman said.
The lawyer continued, “If [Trump] passes this kind of executive order, I imagine within hours there will be people who have already developed their litigation strategy to counter it, because it’s being broadcast by him and his team, or at least by this group with The Washington Post.”
The Post warned that Trump would gain “extraordinary” new powers over the voting process if he declares a national emergency under the guise of protecting elections from outside interference, which Goodman said itself would be “election interference on steroids.”
