Trump’s ‘longtime friend’ wants national emergency declared to take control of midterms: Report

Published 6 July 2026 · us

Peter Ticktin, a longtime friend and lawyer of US President Donald Trump, is urging the White House to declare a national emergency ahead of the

Peter Ticktin, a longtime friend and lawyer of US President Donald Trump, is urging the White House to declare a national emergency ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, arguing—without publicly available evidence—that foreign interference in the 2020 election justifies sweeping federal intervention. Claims Democrats' plan to remove Trump Ticktin, an 80-year-old Florida lawyer who describes himself as Trump's childhood "best friend" from the New York Military Academy, claims Democrats are plotting to win enough congressional seats in the midterms to impeach both Trump and Vice President JD Vance, allowing House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries to become president.

Call for federal control of midterms Amid Trump's frustration over Congress' failure to pass the SAVE America Act, which would impose stricter voter ID requirements, Ticktin is among a group of Trump allies advocating an executive order that would effectively place the upcoming midterms under greater federal control. The proposal calls for declaring a national emergency based on alleged foreign interference through electronic voting machines. Cites foreign interference allegations In an interview with CNN, Ticktin claimed evidence proving foreign manipulation of the 2020 election would soon become public.

He alleged that Venezuela, China, Iran and other countries were involved and suggested evidence would emerge from the Trump administration's prosecution of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. "With the evidence that we've got, and with the evidence that would be forthcoming, there'll be no question about it," Ticktin said, calling the alleged interference "a surreptitious overtaking of a country." No evidence backs 2020 election claims However, nearly six years after the 2020 election, no public evidence has emerged to substantiate claims that foreign governments manipulated voting machines or altered election results.

A 2021 US intelligence assessment found that while Russia, China, Iran and Venezuela sought to influence public opinion surrounding the election, no foreign government attempted to alter voter registration systems, ballots, vote tabulation or reported results. Separate investigations by the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security likewise found no credible evidence that foreign actors compromised US election infrastructure.