Hegseth Lied About Biden Sending Troops to Polling Places in 2024

At a congressional hearing on April 29, 2026, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made a startling and false claim: that then-President Joe Biden sent troops to polling stations in 15 states during the 2024 election. Hegseth insisted, "2024, Joe Biden, troops deployed to polling locations in 15 states. Explain that one to me." The next day, he doubled down, suggesting that under Biden’s administration, those troops were deployed to polling places.

This claim is not only false, it dangerously distorts the facts around election security and federal troop deployment. Federal law strictly prohibits sending federal troops to voting locations unless repelling armed enemies—a scenario that did not occur. The truth is far less sensational but critical to understand.

In those 15 states, it was the governors who activated their National Guard units, not Biden. These activations were primarily for cybersecurity support and general assistance to civilian agencies, not for presence at polling stations. According to the National Guard Bureau, Guard members operated under state authority and were controlled by governors and adjutants general, not the federal government.

States including Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Illinois, North Carolina, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin, and West Virginia activated their National Guard for these support roles. Some others, like Colorado, Florida, Nevada, and Washington, D.C., had Guard personnel on standby but never activated them.

State officials confirmed no Guard members were stationed at polling locations. For example, Delaware’s National Guard personnel worked remotely providing cybersecurity support, and Illinois had Guard troops ready only in case of a cybersecurity incident, requested by the State Board of Elections—not the governor. Nevada had troops on standby but never activated them, and Pennsylvania’s Guard helped with emergency management coordination, not poll security.

This misinformation campaign from a top defense official is part of a broader pattern of attempts to undermine trust in elections by falsely suggesting military interference or intimidation at the polls. It is critical to call out these lies and hold officials accountable for spreading dangerous falsehoods that threaten democratic integrity.

We will continue to track and expose these attacks on democracy and the truth. The facts are clear: Biden did not send troops to polling stations in 2024. Governors acted within their authority to provide cybersecurity and support, with no Guard presence inside polling places. Hegseth’s claim is a reckless distortion that must be rejected.