Trump Gives Prime-Time 2026 Election Speech as Networks Reject Live Airing

Q: With federal orders blocked by courts, who holds the ultimate authority over the rules for the upcoming 2026 midterm elections?

The rules for the 2026 midterm elections are controlled primarily by the states, within limits set by Congress and interpreted by the courts. That is the key effect of the recent court rulings blocking federal executive orders on mail ballots, voter databases, and proof-of-citizenship requirements. Judges have said the president cannot unilaterally rewrite election procedures because the Constitution gives the main authority over the “times, places and manner” of elections to state governments, while Congress can set nationwide rules in some areas. In practice, that means state legislatures write most election laws, and state and local election officials administer them. State courts also play a major role by interpreting those laws and resolving disputes close to an election. Federal courts, including the Supreme Court, set the outer legal boundaries but usually do not run the day-to-day system. Recent cases reinforce that structure. A federal judge blocked key parts of the administration’s 2026 election order, saying election rules belong to the states and Congress, not the president. The Supreme Court also recently made clear that states may keep their own absentee-ballot receipt deadlines, so long as ballots are cast by the federally required election day. So, unless Congress passes new election legislation, the practical authority for the 2026 midterms rests mainly with individual states—their legislatures, election administrators, and courts.

3 articles · Updated · The Atlantic · Jul 18

Major U.S. networks declined to carry Trump’s prime-time election-integrity address live after the White House billed it as a major statement but he offered no evidence for claims the 2020 vote was stolen.
Four tranches of supporting documents released with the speech were described as recycled, misleading or too heavily redacted to substantiate the allegations, reinforcing the view that the address aimed to sow doubt rather than prove fraud.
Most of Trump’s concrete efforts to reshape the 2026 election have stalled: judges blocked parts of executive orders on mail ballots, proof of citizenship and a federal voter database, while states have resisted federal pressure.
The SAVE America Act also appears effectively dead for the midterms after Senator Thom Tillis said he would block it and argued it was already too late to implement.
With legislative and policy routes narrowing, the speech underscored a broader fallback strategy of creating election distrust as Trump also faces pressure from the Iran war and its economic fallout.