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President Donald Trump still seems bent on re-litigating the 2020 election that broomed him out of the White House while ignoring the fact that he bested the Democratic nominee just four years later to return to office.
Maybe this matters because Michigan serves as a kind of a reflecting pool of the nation’s political mood. After all, the state has gone with the winning presidential candidate in the last five elections in a row. And recent polls from EPIC-MRA and the Glengariff Group show the president’s popularity is underwater.
So last night, in a national address to call for tighter federal controls on voting and ballot access heading into the 2026 elections, Trump cited a six-year old case of alleged voter registration fraud in Muskegon – a Democratic stronghold – as evidence that election results in Michigan are not to be trusted. Trump ordered the release of new records to back his opinion. There wasn’t a lot new to learn.
The case was dropped by federal authorities just last year -- on his watch -- as part of his claim that U.S. elections are not secure. And Michigan’s election officials say the Muskegon case is actually an example of how the system succeeds in preventing fraud from affecting elections.
In the widely reported case, Muskegon City Clerk Ann Meisch in 2020 denied hundreds of voter registration applications due to irregularities that indicated fraud. The irregularities included signatures with similar handwriting and information on forms that did not match the Secretary of State’s database.
A state investigation was turned over to the FBI, which conducted interviews with former employees of a voter-registration company, GBI Strategies, that were part of the records trove released by the White House last night.
“It was pay, play and cheat,” said Trump, who has never acknowledged losing the 2020 race to President Joe Biden and has alleged without evidence there was widespread fraud in Michigan’s balloting.
The FBI ended its investigation last year and federal prosecutors never filed charges. Trump indicated he is unsatisfied with that outcome and wants the Muskegon case reopened.
“Tonight, I am 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,” he said.
The FBI’s Detroit office did not reply to an email sent Thursday night seeking comment on the bureau’s next steps.
Michigan Deputy Secretary of State Aghogho Edevbie said the system flagged the false registrants, who were not given ballots.
“The system worked,” he told Rick. “The clerk recognized the issue, reported it, and no votes were affected at all.”
“These claims have already been investigated and the president simply is trying to rewrite history over the last six years and try and control future elections,” he said. “Here’s the thing – Michigan elections are secure. They continue to be secure.”
Michigan has consequential elections approaching that include an open U.S. Senate seat and vacancies for governor, attorney general and secretary of state – all offices currently held by Democrats.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said she will fight any efforts by the Trump administration to tighten its grip on state elections.
“Whether it’s unlawful executive orders, baseless demand letters for private voter information or the President’s continuous misinformation campaign, my office stands ready to fight back against this administration’s attempt to strip states of their constitutional right to administer our elections,” she said in a statement from her office.
Not surprisingly, Republicans and Democrats are on very different pages.
State House Republicans praised the presidential address for calling attention to the Muskegon case. With control of House committee gavels, they could use hearings as a proxy for courts and prosecutions to call public attention to the case regardless of what the FBI does. Democrats say Trump’s demand is a sideshow to distract from the Iran war and cost of living as campaign issues.
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Have questions about Michigan politics? Or, just want to let us know what you want more of (less of?) in the newsletter? We always want to hear from you! Shoot us an email at politics@michiganpublic.org!
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What we’re talking about at the dinner table
Endorsing: U.S. Senator Gary Peters has weighed in on who he wants to replace him. “Back in May, Peters told the Associated Press that he planned to stay neutral in the Democratic race to replace him in the U.S. Senate. Well, that changed this week. Peters announced he’s endorsing Congresswoman Haley Stevens in the August 4th Primary. Stevens is locked in a contentious primary race with former public health official Abdul El-Sayed. The primary is seen as a battle between the Democratic party’s establishment and progressive wings. The winner of the Democratic Primary will face off against Republican Mike Rogers in the November election,” Steve Carmody reports.
Rallies: Meantime, “U.S. Sen Bernie Sanders of Vermont and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, are headed to Michigan to stump for Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan's U.S. Senate race, with a Saturday, July 18, rally in Detroit and events in Lansing and Grand Rapids on Sunday, July 19. It will mark the first time that Ocasio-Cortez − or AOC − will be in Michigan this election cycle for El-Sayed,” the Detroit Free Press reports.
High earners: A new proposal before the state legislature would ask voters if higher-income Michiganders should pay more in taxes. “The proposal seeks to charge an extra five percent tax on annual income above half-a-million dollars for single filers, or a million dollars for joint filers. That extra revenue would go toward health, housing, and education. Critics of the proposal say it could wind up costing small business owners more in taxes too, because of the particular ways that many of them file. The question would need a legislative supermajority to go before voters — something unlikely to happen this year,” Michigan Public Radio Network’s Colin Jackson reports.
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Yours in political nerdiness,
Rick Pluta & Zoe Clark
Co-hosts, It’s Just Politics
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IJP On The Road
