Donald Trump has raised concerns among his critics by telling a crowd of supporters that they won't need to vote again if they reelect him in November’s election.

He made this statement on Friday night at a rally in West Palm Beach, Florida, hosted by the far-right Christian advocacy group Turning Point Action.

“Christians, get out and vote! Just this time – you won’t have to do it any more,” the Republican former President said.

“You know what? It’ll be fixed! It’ll be fine. You won’t have to vote any more, my beautiful Christians,” he stressed.

He added, “I love you. Get out – you gotta get out and vote. In four years, you don’t have to vote again. We’ll have it fixed so good, you’re not gonna have to vote.”

Trump's rally comments spark fears of Christian Nationalism

Trump's remarks, made near his Mar-a-Lago resort and home, quickly caused alarm in some political circles. Andrew Seidel, a constitutional and civil rights attorney, responded to a video of Trump’s comments circulating on X by stating: “This is not subtle Christian nationalism. He’s talking about ending our democracy and installing a Christian nation.”

Trump: You have to get out and vote. You won’t have to do it anymore. Four years, it will be fixed, it will be fine. You won’t have to vote anymore.. In four years, you won’t have to vote again. pic.twitter.com/DBGcBr3Wht

— Acyn (@Acyn) July 27, 2024

In the same context, Actor Morgan Fairchild said in a post on X: “But … what if I want to vote again?? I was always raised that we get to vote again! That is America.” On his part, NBC legal commentator Katie Phang said, “In other words, Trump won’t ever leave the White House if he gets re-elected.”

Why it matters

Trump's comments on Friday followed previous remarks where he stated he would be "a dictator on day one" if granted a second term in the White House. A former White House aide also reported that Trump once commented that Adolf Hitler "did some good things." 

Additionally, the conservative Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 has outlined plans for retribution against Trump’s real and perceived adversaries, including politicians and bureaucrats, should he be re-elected.

Experts on authoritarianism caution the public to take Trump’s statements seriously. Before Joe Biden paused his re-election campaign on July 21 and endorsed Kamala Harris as his successor, the Democratic President repeatedly characterized Trump as a significant threat to American democracy.

Trump’s supporters have attempted to blame the rhetoric for the failed assassination attempt on July 13 at a political rally in Pennsylvania. At the time, the FBI reported that a bullet, either whole or fragmented, struck Trump in one of his ears during the shooting, which also resulted in the death of a rally-goer and injuries to two other spectators before a Secret Service sniper killed the gunman.

However, many noted that Trump’s comments on Friday seemed to indicate that the Republican presidential nominee had no intention of ceasing his explicit threats against democratic norms, including the electoral process itself.

The big picture

Trump easily secured the Republican nomination for November’s election, despite being convicted in May on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to the $130,000 payment to adult film actor Stormy Daniels, following her allegations of an extramarital affair. He is also facing charges for attempting to overturn the 2020 election results, which he lost to Biden. These efforts were bolstered on July 1 when a US Supreme Court, with three Trump appointees, ruled he has immunity from prosecution for acts deemed official.

Additionally, Trump has faced multimillion-dollar civil penalties for fraud and a rape allegation that a judge found to be substantially true.

Even if Trump wins a second term in November, the 22nd Amendment to the US Constitution, enacted in 1951, would prevent him from serving as president beyond early 2029. Changing this amendment would require approval from two-thirds of both congressional chambers, followed by ratification from three-fourths of the US states.

Currently, Republican lawmakers hold a narrow majority in the US House, while Democratic opponents have a slim majority in the Senate.

A poll released on Friday by the Republican-friendly Fox News network indicated a close race between Trump and US Vice President Harris in key swing states that could determine November's election. Before Biden withdrew from the presidential race, polls generally showed Trump had established relatively comfortable leads in several important swing states.