'India’s last Election had...': Trump invokes India while pushing US voter ID bill
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'India’s last Election had...': Trump invokes India while pushing US voter ID bill")
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit 2026, in Evian on Jun 17, 2026. Photograph: (ANI)
Donald Trump has once again pointed to India's election system while pushing for stricter voter identification rules in the US. But what exactly does his SAVE America Act seek to change, and why is India central to his argument?
US President Donald Trump has renewed his call for Congress to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, pointing to India's election system and voter identification requirements as an example.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump cited remarks attributed to India's Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, who had questioned how elections could be conducted in the US without a requirement for valid photo identification.
Trump also pointed to India's 2024 general election, writing: "India's last Election had 646,000,000 Voters! Less than 1 per cent voted by mail, and every single Voter had to have a VALID Photo Identity Document."
He then renewed his appeal to lawmakers, writing: "We need to pass THE SAVE AMERICA ACT, now!"
What does the SAVE America Act propose?
According to the White House, the legislation is designed to ensure that only US citizens participate in federal elections.
The administration says the bill would require voters to provide valid identification and proof of citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. It would also seek to restrict mail-in voting to specific circumstances, including illness, disability, military service, or travel.
The legislation would further direct states to remove non-citizens from voter rolls.
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The White House has described the measure as a "common sense, bipartisan bill", arguing that American elections should be decided by American citizens.
White House compares US system with India
The Trump administration has increasingly pointed to election systems in other countries while making its case for tighter voting requirements in the US. The White House said, "India and Brazil tie voter ID to a biometric database, while the United States largely relies on self-attestation for citizenship."
The bill was introduced in Congress on January 29. Trump's latest remarks put India at the centre of his argument for changing how voter eligibility and identification are handled in US federal elections.
