Trump allies with White House access call for 'martial law' if Republicans lose next month's midterm elections

Peter Ticktin — a childhood friend of President Trump and lawyer for convicted former Colorado election clerk Tina Peters — told a MAGA activist call that 'there would have to be martial law in the event of another rigged election.' Ticktin and Peters have both visited Trump at the White House since June, giving these fringe views a direct channel to the Oval Office. Legal experts say Trump lacks the power to seize state ballots or override election law, and no evidence backs claims that November's midterms will be rigged.

In a separate interview, Ticktin went further, saying Trump 'is not going to relinquish control again' and that any civil conflict should see 'martial law with our side in control of the armaments.'

Fellow activist Gregory Stenstrom called for the election to be halted entirely, or for Trump to invoke the National Emergencies Act to force states to restructure how they conduct elections.

Derek Tisler of the Brennan Center for Justice cautioned that emergency powers are 'not just a blank check' and that declaring martial law would give Trump no authority to confiscate election materials or set aside federal and state law.