Senator Ruben Gallego Calls For Nationwide Strike If Trump Attempts To Sabotage Midterms

Arizona Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego urged Americans to prepare a national general strike that would "grind the country to a halt" if former President Donald Trump or his allies attempt to interfere with the November midterm elections.

Gallego — an Iraq war veteran and newly elected U.S. senator — made the comments on the Court of History podcast with historians Sidney Blumenthal and Sean Wilentz. He warned that voters and election workers should be ready for worst-case scenarios, including attempts to seize ballot boxes, stop counts, or surround polling places.

"We have to prepare for the outmost scenario, the worst scenario, which is they try to either capture the ballot box as ballots are being counted, they try to stop the count, they try to surround polling places, whatever it is," Gallego said. "If you are allied with democracy, do not go to work. If you’re a pilot, do not show up. If you drive a train, do not show up. If you’re a teacher, do not show up. We grind the country to a halt."

Gallego — who defeated Trump ally Kari Lake in the 2024 Senate race — framed a nationwide strike as a deterrent to what he described as an existential threat to democratic institutions. "There is no economic stability without democratic stability," he said, adding that disrupting markets could be necessary to prevent an overthrow of the democratic process.

His remarks followed public comments by Trump suggesting that the federal government should "nationalise" voting in at least 15 unspecified locations, repeating unproven claims of widespread election fraud. Trump floated the idea on a podcast interview with former FBI deputy director Dan Bongino and later told reporters: "The state is an agent for the federal government in elections. I don’t know why the federal government doesn’t do them anyway."

Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon amplified the rhetoric on his War Room podcast, asserting that immigration enforcement could be used around polling places: "You’re damn right we’re gonna have ICE surround the polls come November." The White House press secretary responded that she had not heard of formal plans to deploy ICE to polling locations, but would not categorically rule out agents being present at or near some sites.

Legal and enforcement context matters. Federal law generally bars the president from deploying military troops to locations holding a general or special election, and many states prohibit carrying firearms at or near polling places. Still, aggressive enforcement tactics or the visible presence of federal agents could deter voters and lawful residents from going to the polls out of fear of detention or profiling.

The Justice Department has increased pressure on Democratic-led states over voter data, suing nearly two dozen states for access to voter rolls. Last week the FBI searched an election office in Fulton County, Georgia, seeking records tied to the 2020 election — a move that has heightened tensions around election administration.

Many Democrats condemned Trump's and Bannon's comments as threats to democratic norms; Gallego argued that stronger, organized public resistance may be necessary if attempts are made to subvert election outcomes. "The reaction is going to be very, very strong," he said, warning that Americans would not accept overt efforts to stop the vote count.

What To Watch

• Whether state or federal officials take concrete steps to "nationalise" election administration in specific locations.
• Legal actions by the Justice Department that may change access to voter data and how states respond.
• Any reported attempts to disrupt vote counts or to deploy federal agents near polling places as Voting Day approaches.