Van Hollen: Trump Trying to 'Suppress the Vote' Will Motivate People to Vote

Senator says Trump's false fraud claims aim to intimidate voters, but that will backfire.

Published on Feb. 23, 2026

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In an interview on MSNBC's 'All In,' Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) stated that attempts by the Trump administration to suppress voting through false fraud claims will actually motivate more people to go out and vote. Van Hollen said Trump's goal is to 'intimidate American citizens from going out and casting their votes,' but that this strategy will backfire and drive higher voter turnout.

Why it matters

Voter suppression efforts have been a major concern in recent elections, with claims of widespread fraud used as a pretext to enact new voting restrictions. Van Hollen's comments suggest these tactics may end up having the opposite effect, energizing voters who see their right to vote as under attack.

The details

Van Hollen pointed to comments by South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who said the goal is to have 'the right people voting and electing the right people.' The senator said this reveals the true intent behind claims of voter fraud - to suppress turnout among certain groups in order to sway election outcomes. However, Van Hollen argued that this will backfire, as voters become motivated to show up at the polls to hold those trying to restrict voting rights accountable.

  • The interview aired on MSNBC's 'All In' on Wednesday, February 18, 2026.

The players

Chris Van Hollen

A Democratic senator from Maryland who serves on the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee.

Kristi Noem

The Republican governor of South Dakota who has supported voting restrictions based on unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud.

Donald Trump

The former president who has repeatedly made false claims about widespread voter fraud in order to justify efforts to make it harder for certain groups to vote.

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What they’re saying

“One thing that definitely motivates people to go out and vote is when they know that people like Donald Trump are trying to stop them from voting and suppressing the vote.”

— Chris Van Hollen, U.S. Senator (MSNBC)

“Kristi Noem gave away the game. You've played that segment where she says that they want the right people voting and electing the right people. And so their goal is to use this false claim of fraud, which we know is virtually nonexistent, as you've reported, in order to suppress the vote, in order to take these actions to intimidate American citizens from going out and casting their votes, that is their goal.”

— Chris Van Hollen, U.S. Senator (MSNBC)

What’s next

Van Hollen called for vigilance at polling places to hold accountable anyone deployed by Trump to try to intimidate voters.

The takeaway

Efforts to restrict voting rights through false claims of fraud may end up backfiring, as voters become more motivated to show up and vote in order to protect their democratic rights.