When asked whether he would exercise his authority to enact a National Security Emergency Plan for the mid-term elections, President Donald Trump was receptive but stopped short of elaborating.
Trump responded, “Stranger things have happened. Okay, I'll leave it at that ... we'll leave it at that."
The phrase "stranger things have happened" generally means that while an outcome or scenario is unusual, it is still entirely possible because even weirder or more unexpected things have transpired in the past.
Root broached the subject after saying that the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act bill may not be approved on Capitol Hill by the upcoming Nov. 3 elections.
“If it does pass, then you've got immediate legal challenge by the Democrats, and it won't be in place for the midterms even if it passes,” Root said.
Trump responded that the House of Representatives branch of Congress had passed it five times and that Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) is doing a great job.
Most recently, the House passed the SAVE America Act on Feb. 11 by a vote of 218–213.
"[Johnson] does a great job,” Trump told Root.
The SAVE America Act bill proposes amending the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to mandate that individuals provide "documentary proof of citizenship" in person to register or update their registration for federal elections.
Additionally, it introduces strict federal photo ID requirements for both in-person and absentee voting, obligates states to cross-reference voter rolls with federal databases like the Department of Homeland Security's SAVE system, and imposes criminal penalties on election workers who mistakenly register non-eligible applicants.
If Trump did exercise his authority to declare a national security emergency for elections, it could not be challenged in court, according to Root.
“It can only be overturned by a two-thirds vote of both houses of Congress. So if you do this in the next month, we will get photo ID, proof of citizenship, and a limit to mail-in ballots,” he added.
As of August 2026, a definitive date for a full Senate floor vote has not been officially scheduled for the Save America Act proposal.
It will be debated by Senate leadership after it is reviewed in the Senate Rules Committee.
However, the Senate has been on summer break since Aug. 8 and will return on Sept. 14.