Trump Seeks To Set Aside 400 Washington Ballots As Obama Clash Intensifies Ahead Of Midterms

The Donald Trump administration has asked Washington state to set aside ballots from more than 400 people suspected of registering to vote without US citizenship, escalating election-related disputes a week before the November 3 midterm elections. The move comes as polls point to potential Republican losses in the House and Trump trades sharp insults with former president Barack Obama on the campaign trail.

In a letter to Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, the US Justice Department said it identified around 1,500 votes cast by the suspected voters in previous elections. It wants their ballots withheld until officials verify their eligibility. Washington has more than five million registered voters and mails ballots to all of them.

Acting US Attorney Neil Floyd said the state should set aside the ballots pending verification. Hobbs said his office was reviewing the request and had received around 60 Justice Department subpoenas seeking voter information since last month. He stressed that officials would respond only to requests complying with due process and warned against harassment of Washington residents.

The demand follows a federal effort in California targeting up to 20,000 people suspected of being noncitizens. On Monday, a federal appeals court declined to block California from counting the disputed ballots, sending the case back to a lower court for a hearing on Tuesday. Judges raised concerns about the government's evidence and the risk of disenfranchising eligible voters. Los Angeles County officials found that a sample of 200 records included inactive registrations, people with no voting history and voters apparently born in the United States.

The Justice Department expects to send Washington another list before Election Day, acknowledging that some people may since have become naturalised citizens. Noncitizen voting is exceptionally rare. A Nevada investigation found no cases among 1,500 suspected voters, while a review in Arizona's Maricopa County reduced 207 potential cases to eight.

Meanwhile, Obama mocked Trump's White House renovations at an Ohio campaign rally on October 24, saying the gold decorations, ballroom project and changes to the Rose Garden made the building look as though Saddam Hussein had opened a Cheesecake Factory. He accused Trump of focusing on renovations rather than Americans' cost-of-living concerns.

Trump responded on October 26, defending the work as necessary repairs to damaged masonry, plaster and decorations. He called Obama a “lousy president” and questioned his intelligence. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also joined the exchange by dining at the restaurant chain and criticising Obama's remarks.

The political tensions come as polling suggests Democrats could regain control of the House, while the Senate remains highly competitive. Inflation, tariffs and the Iran conflict are major voter concerns. More than 30 million Americans had already voted early or by mail, adding urgency to the final campaign week.