US President Donald Trump has once again reignited the political debate in the country by publicly describing the United States as a “Third World“ country in terms of conducting elections.
During his speech at the conservative forum Faith and Freedom Coalition in Washington, Trump sharply criticized the fairness of the vote and called for the immediate passage of the bill SAVE America Act. The document envisages the introduction of strict voting requirements, including mandatory proof of American citizenship upon registration and presentation of a photo ID.
“Our elections are a complete mess. In many Third World countries, the electoral process is more fair than in the United States,“ the head of state told the gathered Christian conservatives. The full transcript of the speech and the official panel of the event were broadcast in a report on PBS NewsHour.
Trump's rhetoric comes at a key moment when the White House is trying to strengthen control over election administration in a number of states ahead of the upcoming midterm elections for Congress. However, critics and election experts counter that such claims are aimed at undermining public trust in democratic institutions and are not based on real evidence of widespread fraud.