President Trump’s “patience is running out” with Senate Republicans and he wants to see real movement on his effort to require voters to show photo identification, his White House spokeswoman said Thursday.
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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Mr. Trump is getting frustrated because he believes the SAVE America Act, which requires proof of citizenship to register and photo ID to vote, is widely popular with Americans.
“He wants to see as much of the SAVE America Act passed as possible by the August recess,” Ms. Leavitt said. “The House did its job, the Senate needs to do its job, too.”
The House passed the measure Wednesday, including the election provisions in a spending bill.
Mr. Trump says the legislation is needed to overcome alleged cheating by Democrats. He says they allow illegal immigrants or other non-eligible persons to vote, spoiling GOP chances.
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat, revealed this week that about 6,600 non-citizens were allowed to register to vote in her state because of an “error” in the state’s software system. Officials said fewer than 400 of them voted between June 2023 and June 2024.
Ms. Leavitt said the Trump administration highlighted the issue, and the Department of Homeland Security told states in a formal letter to report illegal voters and remove them from the rolls.
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“That’s why, all of a sudden, [Ms. Sherrill] is speaking truth about the fact this does take place in states across this country,” Ms. Leavitt said.
Mr. Trump is urging Senate Republicans to waive the filibuster and attempt to pass the SAVE America Act on a majority vote without the help of Democrats.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, South Dakota Republican, has resisted the idea so far, and Republicans are considering whether to attach SAVE America to must-pass bills to force Democrats’ hand.
Ms. Leavitt said Mr. Trump spoke about the issue on Wednesday in Georgia, and “there was very loud applause from the people in the audience.”
“Because voter ID is common sense, they want proof of citizenship in our elections,” she said. “And the president feels very strongly about that.”
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