WASHINGTON — Ahead of a critical meeting with Ukrainian leader Zelenskyy, Trump made it clear he has other things also on his mind.

He said in a social media post Monday morning that he’ll be issuing an executive order to “help bring HONESTY to the 2026 Midterm Elections.”

Saying he will “lead a movement” to get rid of mail-in ballots and voting machines, Trump added in all-caps: “I, AND THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, WILL FIGHT LIKE HELL TO BRING HONESTY AND INTEGRITY BACK TO OUR ELECTIONS.”

When Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, the two men agreed on the “dishonest” nature of using mail-in ballots, the U.S. president said.

“He said there’s not a country in the world that uses it now,” Trump said Putin told him of the process. Trump recounted that conversation during an interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity.

It is incorrect to claim that no other countries have mail-in voting, as multiple outlets have previously pointed out. While the specifics vary, dozens of other countries incorporate mail-in voting as part of their respective elections including Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and more. 

Trump has long complained, without providing evidence, that mail voting opens a pathway to fraud. The election executive order he signed in March, which is facing several lawsuits, targets mail voting by saying all ballots must be received by Election Day. Currently, 18 states and Puerto Rico accept mailed ballots received after Election Day as long they are postmarked on or before that date.

This comes after Trump urged Texas Republicans to draw new congressional maps to maintain the party’s slim U.S. House majority after the 2026 midterm elections. In response, California is wading into the redistricting fight. 

The Texas plan was temporarily stalled when minority Democrats left the state to stop the Legislature from passing any bills, but some lawmakers said they’ll return to Texas now that California is moving forward with its counter act.

Both parties hope to add five seats for their side.

Meanwhile, key European leaders are gathering at the White House for Trump’s meeting with Zelenskyy. They include: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. 

On the table for discussion are possible NATO-like security guarantees Ukraine would need for any peace with Russia to be durable. Putin opposes Ukraine joining NATO outright, yet Trump’s team claims the Russian leader is open to allies agreeing to defend Ukraine if it comes under attack.

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