US elections live: Trump faces backlash after telling supporters they ‘won’t have to vote again’ if he wins

Adam Schiff, the high-profile California Democrat and Senate candidate, posted to X a clip of Donald Trump’s speech, writing:

“This year democracy is on the ballot, and if we are to save it, we must vote against authoritarianism. Here Trump helpfully reminds us that the alternative is never having the chance to vote again.

Donald Trump’s remarks that supporters won’t “have to vote again” if he is re-elected in November were immediately met with consternation in some political quarters.

The constitutional and civil rights attorney Andrew Seidel, for instance, replied to video of Trump’s comments circulating on X by writing:

This is not subtle Christian nationalism. He’s talking about ending our democracy and installing a Christian nation.

The actor Morgan Fairchild added in a separate X post:

But … what if I want to vote again?? I was always raised that we get to vote again! That is America.

And the NBC legal commentator Katie Phang said:

In other words, Trump won’t ever leave the White House if he gets re-elected.

Here’s a clip from Donald Trump’s speech at the rally on Friday night hosted in West Palm Beach, Florida, by the far-right Christian advocacy group Turning Point Action.

The former president and Republican presidential nominee told supporters:

Christians, get out and vote! Just this time – you won’t have to do it any more … You know what? It’ll be fixed! It’ll be fine. You won’t have to vote any more, my beautiful Christians.

He added:

I love you. Get out – you gotta get out and vote. In four years, you don’t have to vote again. We’ll have it fixed so good, you’re not gonna have to vote.

Good morning US politics readers. Democratic lawmakers and Kamala Harris’s campaign joined a chorus of critics sounding the alarm over recent remarks by Donald Trump telling a crowd of supporters they won’t “have to vote again” if they return him to the presidency in November’s election.

Trump, at a Friday night rally hosted in Florida by a far-right Christian advocacy group, said:

Christians, get out and vote! Just this time – you won’t have to do it any more … You gotta get out and vote. In four years, you don’t have to vote again. We’ll have it fixed so good, you’re not gonna have to vote.

Trump’s remarks were immediately met with consternation in some political quarters, with some arguing that the Republican presidential nominee had implied that that he would end elections in the country if he returns to the White House.

The Harris campaign called Trump’s remarks “a vow to end democracy”, while the Democratic California congressman Adam Schiff, posted to X:

This year democracy is on the ballot, and if we are to save it, we must vote against authoritarianism.

Here’s what else we’re watching:

• The Senate is in this week. The House is out.

• Joe Biden will head to Austin, Texas, to mark the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. He will then travel to Houston to pay his respects to Sheila Jackson Lee, the Democratic Texas congresswoman who died from pancreatic cancer last week.