"Five alarm fire!" Trump issues stunning election announcement - Brian Tyler Cohen

[TexasTowelie]

Democracy Watch episode 480: Trump announces broad powers to take over elections

Here are the key points from the video:

- Trump's emergency power claim: A memo is circulating, reportedly coordinated with the White House, arguing Trump can declare a national emergency — citing alleged Chinese interference in the 2020 election — to gain control over voting processes, including banning mail-in ballots.

- Legal basis is disputed: The memo relies on the National Emergencies Act and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) — the same statute courts ruled Trump cannot use to impose tariffs — making the legal argument widely considered invalid.

- Immediate legal challenge promised: Attorney Marc Elias states his firm will sue immediately if Trump signs any executive order touching elections, citing past success doing exactly that.

- Timing is a key concern: The greater worry isn't the memo's legal durability, but Trump potentially issuing orders just before critical election deadlines (e.g., mail-in ballot distribution), leaving little time for courts to intervene effectively.

- Media framing criticized: Legacy media is accused of lending undue credibility to the memo by framing it as "unlocking" presidential power rather than calling it an unconstitutional overreach.

- Media consolidation concern: The hosts connect this to growing Republican ownership of major media outlets (CBS, CNN, TikTok, Twitter), arguing it will make it harder for the public to receive accurate information about such actions.