President Donald Trump renewed claims about election integrity during a primetime address, alleging vulnerabilities in U.S. voting systems and citing Michigan as an example of what he described as election-related misconduct.
During the address, Trump claimed voting machines could be susceptible to foreign interference and alleged that a Michigan-based “Get Out The Vote” organization attempted to submit fraudulent voter registration forms.
Trump said he directed federal authorities to investigate.
“Tonight, I’m asking the FBI director to ensure that the matter is fully investigated and to work with the Department of Justice to prosecute those responsible for any crimes,” said Trump.
Local 4 is working through those documents to verify them, and the contents have not been independently verified.
What federal reports say about foreign interference
Trump’s claims about foreign interference in U.S. voting systems contradict findings from multiple federal agencies.
In March 2021, the National Intelligence Council released a report concluding that while foreign actors attempted to undermine confidence in U.S. elections, they were unsuccessful and that no foreign actor attempted to alter any technical aspect of the voting process.
The report said it observed “no indications that any foreign actor attempted to alter any technical aspect of the voting process in the 2020 US elections, including voter registration, casting ballots, vote tabulation, or reporting results.”
That same month, a separate report by the U.S. Justice and Homeland Security departments largely confirmed those findings.
Both reports expressed high confidence in their conclusions and noted the extreme improbability of undetected election interference.
Michigan officials fire back
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson rejected Trump’s assertions, saying they do not change the facts surrounding the state’s election process.
“None of his rhetoric changes what’s true: Michigan’s elections are secure and safe, and the results are an accurate reflection of the will of the people,” Benson said in a statement.
Benson said Michigan’s elections have been securely administered in 2020, 2022 and 2024, and she expressed confidence they will continue to be in 2026.
She said more than 1,600 bipartisan election administrators and thousands of trained poll workers oversee elections statewide, and that officials conduct multiple post-election audits after every election.
“To the Michiganders and American citizens concerned about the president’s statements tonight, I encourage you to serve as a poll worker in the upcoming elections,” Benson said. “You’ll see firsthand just how secure our elections truly are.”
Governor Gretchen Whitmer also weighed in, saying any suggestion that Michigan’s elections are not safe is designed to undermine voters’ basic rights.
“For decades, our voting systems have been rigorously tested, certified, and subject to strict standards before they are ever used in an election,” said Whitmer. “Election officials here in Michigan work year-round to ensure every eligible voter can cast a ballot, and that only eligible voters do so.”
Whitmer said the results of the 2020 election have been repeatedly reviewed and consistently upheld as accurate, and called for an end to conspiracy theories surrounding that election.
“Tonight, President Trump also made claims about Michigan intended to suggest our voting system is somehow rigged. It isn’t, and his claim has been debunked by experts time and time again,” Whitmer said. “We should continue to trust our hard-working election officials across the state, follow the facts, and respect the constitutional role states play in administering our elections.”
Attorney general warns of legal action
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel also criticized Trump’s remarks, accusing him of continuing to spread false claims about past elections.
“The President has now spent an entire decade trying to convince you that our elections are unsecure and illegitimate,” said Nessel in a statement. “He is now just doing it from the most visible stage in the world: the White House.”
Nessel said her office remains prepared to challenge any federal efforts she believes infringe on Michigan’s constitutional authority to administer elections.
She pointed to recent legal victories, including a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit that upheld an order blocking the Trump administration from obtaining Michigan’s full electronic voter file, which contains sensitive personal information.
Nessel also referenced a federal court ruling in Massachusetts that blocked portions of a presidential executive order related to election administration.
Expert weighs in
Oakland University political science professor Dave Dulio spoke with Local 4 about the president’s allegations and what they could mean for voters.
Dulio discussed the claims and the importance of understanding how Michigan’s election system operates.
As of Thursday night, the White House documents remained under review, and the allegations Trump cited had not been independently verified.
Federal authorities had not publicly announced any new findings related to the Michigan allegations.
Local 4 reached out to the FBI Detroit Field Office and Get Out The Vote for comment but had not received a response as of 11 p.m.