Trump Falsely Claims 'Cheating Is Rampant' in U.S. Elections and Pushes SAVE Act in State of the Union

In his 2026 State of the Union, Trump claimed 'Cheating is rampant in our elections' and used this debunked assertion to push the SAVE America Act requiring proof of citizenship to vote. There is no evidence of widespread fraud in American elections. The conservative Heritage Foundation's database includes only 85 cases involving allegations of noncitizen voting over a two-decade period (2002-2023). A DHS study after the 2024 election checked 49.5 million voter registrations and found only about 10,000 cases (0.02%) referred for additional investigation. Georgia's comprehensive audit found 20 noncitizens who registered to vote, with only 9 casting ballots. Iowa's audit of 2.3 million voters revealed 87 instances.

"Cheating is rampant in our elections." — State of the Union address to joint session of Congress, February 24, 2026