US President Donald Trump hailed the Indian election voter ID system on Monday (US time), renewing his push for stricter rules that ensure only American citizens vote in American elections. Recalling a previous conversation with the South Asian nation’s Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Gyanesh Kumar, the American commander-in-chief asserted on social media, “We need to pass the SAVE AMERICA ACT.”
What Trump said about the Indian voter ID system
In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump exclaimed that India’s 2024 Lok Sabha elections had a turnout of 646 million voters. Citing those official numbers, he again made a case for the Save America Act, aka the proposed US federal law ‘Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act,’ which was introduced in the US Senate in January.
It requires individuals to provide documentary proof of their American citizenship when registering to vote and to present proper photo identification to vote in federal elections. The proposed bill further seeks to have US states remove non-citizens from their official lists of eligible voters.
In his social media post shared Monday, Trump recounted that India’s CEC, Gyanesh Kumar, recently asked how the current US administration could proceed with elections without a valid photo ID system.
Pointing to the staggering 646 million voter turnout in the last election cycle in India, Trump stressed, “Less than 1% voted by mail, and every single Voter had to have a VALID Photo Identity Document. We need to pass THE SAVE AMERICA ACT.”
US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor also backed the POTUS’ praise of the Indian electoral system.
US President Donald Trump posts on his Truth Social, “Earlier this month, India’s Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, asked our Administration — How can you have Elections in the U.S. without a valid Photo ID? India’s last Election had 646,000,000 Voters! Less than 1%… pic.twitter.com/GDblVs4EHb— ANI (@ANI) August 18, 2026
Sharing a picture with Gyanesh Kumar and a screenshot of the MAGA leader’s Truth Social post on X, the US envoy wrote, “President Donald J Trump is absolutely correct! 646 MILLION voters, every single one required an ID in India’s last election. Congress should pass THE SAVE AMERICA ACT!”
What is the ‘Save America’ Act?
The SAVE America Act, or SAVE Act, which is short for the Safeguard American Voter Act, is a proposed federal bill that fundamentally seeks to change how Americans register to vote. Trump has particularly pushed for the SAVE Act to be passed as part of his larger immigration crackdown.
He’s even gone so far as to insist the US Senate eliminate its filibuster rule, which has traditionally required a 60-vote majority threshold for passing legislation through the Senate.
If passed, the bill would make presenting a valid US passport or birth certificate, alongside a valid photo ID, mandatory before voters cast ballots. While some states already demand these documents, many critics have long rallied against the proposed legislation because they say it could disenfranchise about 20 million American voters who don’t have access to birth certificates or other proper documentation. The bill also aims to eliminate mail-in ballots, except for certain cases.
President Donald J. Trump is absolutely correct! 646 MILLION voters, every single one required an ID in India’s last election. Congress should pass THE SAVE AMERICA ACT! pic.twitter.com/lqQHSZvWk7— Ambassador Sergio Gor (@USAmbIndia) August 18, 2026
“If you want to register to vote in the United States, you have to be a citizen in the United States,” states the Trump White House. Its official website goes on to list a few countries, including India, mentioning that the United States “lags behind” them “in enforcing basic and necessary election protections.”
The White House acknowledges that India and Brazil link voter ID to a biometric database, as opposed to the US’ reliance on self-attestation for citizenship. Meanwhile, Germany and Canada require paper ballots, and Denmark and Sweden limit mail-in voting to those unable to vote in person.
On the contrary, American elections feature mass voting by mail even after Election Day, the White House foregrounds.
According to the official US Congress website’s bill tracker, the SAVE America Act (S.3752 H.R.7296) was introduced in late January. Back in July, the US House of Representatives advanced the bill. Earlier this month, however,
a vote on the bill hit a snag as Senate Republicans concluded their overnight standoff without passing the proof-of-citizenship voting bill before the summer recess. The fight will not resume next month when they return in September.