SAVE Act Fight Turns Into Harris Backlash

The SAVE Act fight took a sharp turn after Kamala Harris posted a video warning that Americans would have to “prove who you are” to register to vote. Her comments quickly handed conservatives a new opening to argue that her criticism made the Republican-backed bill sound like a basic citizenship check rather than a threat.

Harris shared the video on her X account Friday while discussing the midterm elections and the SAVE Act. In the clip, she said voters would need “a passport, which a lot of Americans don’t have, or a birth certificate” and described those requirements as obstacles designed to make registration harder. Conservative commentator Eric Daughhetry responded on X by calling her an “incredible SAVE America Act saleswoman,” and other right-leaning figures echoed that theme as the video spread online.

The reaction grew fast across conservative circles. Texas Rep. Wesley Hunt said comparisons to Jim Crow were overused and argued that requiring proof of American citizenship before voting is “common sense.” Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer called the reaction absurd, while Oversight Project vice president of litigation Jeff Clark wrote that Harris “needs to hang it up.” Benny Johnson and Elon Musk’s political action committee, America, also amplified the clip, and Fox News host Sean Hannity noted that Trump reposted it himself.

Trump has made passage of the SAVE Act one of his administration’s main election priorities. He has pressed Congress to move the measure forward through different tactics, including linking it to defense spending and threatening housing legislation. The push has kept the bill in the political spotlight even as Congress is out of session and the midterms draw closer. Trump has also argued for voter ID laws for years, including during his 2016 campaign.