Trump Cites India in Fresh Call for Stricter US Voting Rules

New Delhi, August 18, 2026 US President Donald Trump has renewed his campaign for tougher voter verification rules, invoking India’s electoral process to strengthen his call for Congress to approve the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act. His latest remarks place voter identification, citizenship verification and mail-in voting at the centre of the debate over election safeguards in the United States. Writing on Truth Social, Trump referred to comments he attributed to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar concerning the US election system. “Earlier this month, India’s Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, asked our Administration — How can you have Elections in the US without a valid Photo ID?” Trump said. Trump also pointed to the scale of India’s 2024 Lok Sabha elections while arguing for stronger identification requirements in America. “India’s last Election had 646,000,000 Voters! Less than 1 per cent voted by mail, and every single Voter had to have a VALID Photo Identity Document.” Data from the Election Commission of India shows that 64.64 crore votes were recorded in the election, including 42.82 lakh postal ballots, which represented roughly 0.66 per cent of all votes cast. Repeating his demand for legislative action, Trump said, “We need to pass THE SAVE AMERICA ACT, now!” The proposed SAVE America Act would make documentary proof of US citizenship necessary for registration in federal elections and require photo identification for voting. It also proposes measures for states to identify and remove non-citizens from electoral rolls, along with identification requirements connected to absentee and mail-in ballots. The White House has described the measure as a “common sense, bipartisan bill” and has argued that stronger protections are needed to safeguard federal elections, drawing comparisons with countries including India and Brazil. The proposal has not yet been enacted. The Senate bill, S.3752, was introduced on January 29, 2026, followed by House bill H.R.7296 on January 30, 2026. Trump’s renewed appeal shows how India’s voter identification system has now become part of his broader argument for reshaping election eligibility and verification rules in the United States.