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“I’m disappointed,” Trump said, according to Fox News. “I like John a lot, but he, you know, he has a couple of Republicans that are foolish people. A couple of them are, like, a couple of them I can’t stand, actually.”
Trump did not identify the senators he was targeting, though he has frequently criticized establishment Republicans he believes are sabotaging his agenda from within.
The president also argued that the SAVE Act would already be law if Senate Republicans had abolished the filibuster.
“Because anytime you have mail-in voting, they’re going to cheat. And they cheat like dogs, and they have to cheat,” Trump said.
“When you have policies like that, you have to cheat,” Trump said. “It’s the only way they can win. And we shouldn’t allow them to cheat. And we should terminate the filibuster, because if they get the chance, they’ll do it in the first hour back.”
Even though the legislation remains bottled up in Congress, Republican governors and legislatures across the country are no longer waiting for Washington to act.
A growing number of red states are now moving independently to strengthen voter identification requirements and tighten registration rules.
In recent weeks, Republican-led states including Florida, Mississippi, Utah, and South Dakota approved legislation requiring documentary proof of citizenship before individuals can register to vote in state and local elections. Tennessee lawmakers passed a similar proposal that is now awaiting action from Republican Gov. Bill Lee.
The push comes as conservatives continue sounding alarms over election vulnerabilities exposed during the chaotic 2020 election cycle and the massive expansion of mail-in voting.
Other GOP-controlled states are advancing similar reforms as legal fights continue playing out in courtrooms across America. Missouri’s voter identification law recently survived a constitutional challenge after the state Supreme Court upheld the requirement.
Meanwhile, several states are taking the issue directly to voters.
According to reports, ballot initiatives are expected to appear this November in Arkansas, Arizona, Kansas, South Dakota, and Alaska that would explicitly clarify in state constitutions or statutes that only American citizens are allowed to vote.
Michigan could potentially join the list if election officials verify enough petition signatures to qualify a similar measure for the ballot.
Trump has also taken executive action to bypass congressional gridlock.
On March 31, the president signed an executive order directing the Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies to develop a database identifying confirmed American citizens. The order additionally seeks to block federal funding from local governments that refuse to comply with federal election integrity standards.
The move immediately triggered outrage from Democrats and left-wing activist groups.
Nearly two dozen Democrat-controlled states, along with congressional Democrats, quickly launched legal challenges against the administration, claiming the executive order exceeds federal authority.
But conservatives argue the backlash proves exactly why stronger election safeguards are needed.
Supporters of the SAVE Act say requiring proof of citizenship is simply common sense and mirrors standards Americans already face in countless areas of everyday life, from boarding airplanes to opening bank accounts.
For Trump and his allies, the larger frustration remains the Senate itself.
Many Republicans privately fear Democrats would abolish the filibuster the second they regain unified control of Washington. Yet despite those warnings, several GOP senators still refuse to support eliminating the rule now, creating a growing divide inside the party.
As the 2026 midterms draw closer, the fight over election integrity is rapidly becoming one of the defining political battles in America, with Republican states increasingly deciding they are done waiting for Congress to act.
