Johnson, Trump link border security with election integrity when touting reform

Former President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday held a joint press conference in which the pair linked the ongoing surge in illegal border crossings to concerns over election integrity.

"We have an election problem... I would like to demand that our border be closed... our country is like a dumping ground and we're gonna have it stopped," Trump lamented at the start of the conference. He further offered praise for Johnson, whom he said was performing admirably under "very tough circumstances."

The pair unveiled a legislative effort to require proof of citizenship when adults register to vote in federal elections. Johnson, in particular, asserted that the Biden administration had deliberately permitted million of illegals to enter the U.S. with the aim of turning them into voters.

"One of the first questions that people ask about is this issue of election integrity... election integrity is tied to the lack of border security. President Biden has created a catastrophe and he did it by design," Johnson said. "We believe that one of their designs... they want to turn these people into voters."

"Right now the administration is encouraging illegals" to sign up for benefits, at which time they may be registered to vote without proof of citizenship, Johnson said. "Since 1993, the National Voter Registration Act... allows people to sign up to vote when they get a driver's license... they don't have to prove it," with respect to citizenship, he contended.

The remainder of the press conference saw Trump field a variety of questions related to other issues, including myriad legislative efforts before the House such as the extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and foreign aid to Ukraine.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.