As usual, Donald Trump was not entirely clear what he was talking about here. But, based on what he said, it appears he might be talking about sending federal troops or law enforcement of some sort to election sites on November 3rd and/or doing the same with state law enforcement. Either way, he runs up against significant legal barriers.
For federal law enforcement, there’s a very clear federal law that bars the President (or any other person in the United States government) from sending “any troops or armed men” to any polling place in the country. Thus, this law prohibits, for instance, the troops that were sent to Portland (or any other military troops) from being deployed on election day at the polls. It also prohibits the President from sending non-military law enforcement, such as United States marshals, FBI agents, or U.S. attorneys to election sites if they are armed, which marshals and FBI agents usually are.
Source: No, Trump Can’t Send Troops or Law Enforcement to Your Polling Place – Rolling Stone
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