President Donald Trump citied Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar challenging the absence of voter identification in American polls while praising the Indian election system and making a compelling case for tougher electoral regulations in the United States.
In a post on Truth Social on Monday, August 17, 2026, Mr. Trump claimed that although more than 646 million individuals cast ballots in India’s most recent general elections, less than 1% did so via mail.
According to Mr. Trump, earlier this month, the chief election commissioner of India spoke with representatives of his administration and inquired as to how elections in the United States could be conducted without a proper photo identification card.
The president of the United States made these statements in an effort to garner support for the SAVE America Act, which would severely restrict voting by mail, impose a nationwide voter identification requirement, and force residents to present evidence of citizenship in order to register to vote.
Mr. Trump stated, “Earlier this month, India’s Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, challenged our Administration: How can you have Elections in the US without a valid Photo ID? India’s last Election had 646,000,000 Voters! A valid photo identity document was required for each voter, and less than 1% of votes were cast via mail. “We need to pass THE SAVE AMERICA ACT, now,” he declared.
Claiming that the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act would prevent electoral fraud, Mr. Trump has been pushing for its passage.
But Republicans and Democrats disagree on the matter, and earlier this month the U.S. Senate went for a five-week break without taking any significant action to enact it.
The US relies on voter self-attestation, whereas Brazil and India have already connected voter identity cards to a biometric database, according to an information sheet on the SAVE America Act on the White House website.
The bill also aims to outlaw children’s transgender mutilation surgery and permanently ban men from participating in women’s sports.
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