What Did They Say?

Sep 13, 2026· Updated

Trump Closes the Republican Midterm Convention by Having Thousands Raise Their Right Hands and Swear an Oath to Him — "I Pledge to the Greatest President in the History of the United States … I Don't Care if I'm Registered or Not, I'm Going to Try and Cheat Like Hell Like They Do"

Closing the first Republican midterm convention in modern history at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on the night of Sept. 10, 2026, President Trump asked the crowd to raise their right hands and repeat after him. What they repeated was not the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag but a pledge to Trump personally — "I pledge to the greatest president in the history of the United States. That loves us so much he can't even breathe" — followed by a vow to vote on Nov. 3 "any way — I don't care if I'm registered or not," and the line "I'm going to try to cheat like hell like they do." The crowd laughed, repeated it, and finished with "So help me God." Trump framed the cheating line as a jab at Democrats, whom he baselessly called the biggest cheaters in American elections. Earlier in the same passage he told the room, "You know what happens if you don't vote? You go to hell, you know that." Voting when not registered is a federal crime, and the pledge came a night after Trump promised every adult citizen a $5,000 "dividend" if Republicans hold the House and Senate — a promise Democrats had already called a bribe. California Gov. Gavin Newsom answered that Trump "just replaced the Pledge of Allegiance with a pledge of allegiance to himself." Congress was out of session for the 9/11 anniversary weekend, and as of Sept. 12 no Republican member of Congress had publicly defended or criticized the pledge on the record.

“I pledge my allegiance to my constituents, which I always have. … The truth is that the president and I don't always agree. And that's OK.”
Michael Lawler (R-NY) · Sep 13, 2026

Republican Midterm Convention

2026 Midterms

Election Integrity

4 statements

Sep 11, 2026

The Justice Department Orders 29 States and D.C. to Keep Their 2024 Election Records — and Tells Two Chief Election Officers, One Republican and One Democrat, That They Are "Under Investigation" — Utah's Lieutenant Governor Says "I'm Not Going to Be Intimidated Into Compliance"

In letters dated Sept. 4, 2026, the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division directed election officials in 29 states and the District of Columbia to impose a litigation hold and preserve their 2024 election records past the 22-month federal retention window, warning that a "failure to preserve relevant data may constitute spoliation of evidence" that could bring "civil and criminal sanctions." The recipients are the jurisdictions the administration has sued for unredacted statewide voter registration lists containing dates of birth, driver's license numbers and partial Social Security numbers — suits in which, the New York Times reported, the department has lost 23 cases and won none. The letters, signed by Eric Neff, acting chief of the Voting Section, also told at least two chief election officers that they were personally "under investigation": Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, a Republican, and Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, a Democrat, whose office had already received seven voter-related subpoenas over three months. Both said the letters were the first they had heard of any investigation. Henderson's office has said a review of Utah's 2.1 million registered voters found 27 noncitizens, none of whom had ever voted. Civil Rights Division head Harmeet Dhillon answered that the letters are "standard litigation practice, not a 'threat.'" The Arizona and Minnesota secretaries of state said through spokespeople that they would comply, with Arizona's office calling any implication that it was not following the law "disrespectful." The letters arrived eight weeks before the Nov. 3 midterms.

“I'm not going to be intimidated into compliance with something I don't believe is right.”
Deidre Henderson (R-UT) · Sep 11, 2026

Election Integrity

2026 Midterms

Justice Department

6 statements

Stories

Trump Closes the Republican Midterm Convention by Having Thousands Raise Their Right Hands and Swear an Oath to Him — "I Pledge to the Greatest President in the History of the United States … I Don't Care if I'm Registered or Not, I'm Going to Try and Cheat Like Hell Like They Do"

The Justice Department Orders 29 States and D.C. to Keep Their 2024 Election Records — and Tells Two Chief Election Officers, One Republican and One Democrat, That They Are "Under Investigation" — Utah's Lieutenant Governor Says "I'm Not Going to Be Intimidated Into Compliance"