WARNING: Put on your tin foil hat before reading this.

[AverageOldGuy]

Quoting from today's email from Democracy Docket:

Florida man claims to find hidden language in the Constitution that would allow Trump to impose voter ID
In a recent, completely unhinged social media rant, Trump promised that “there will be Voter I.D. for the Midterm Elections, whether approved by Congress or not!” Obviously, Trump can’t do that, but he may think he can because of a ridiculous claim that there’s hidden language in the U.S. Constitution that vests electoral power in the federal government… which was discovered by a retired hotel manager in Florida.

As election scholar Rick Hasen pointed out, John N. Goodman, a retired hotel manager in Florida, recently claimed he was looking at a microfilm copy of the original Constitution and found “a faded shadow” of text that says the federal government has electoral power over the states in certain circumstances.

The research was shared with anti-voting activist Steve Stern — who hosts the popular MAGA podcast Stern American — who then shared it with MyPillow CEO and election conspiracist Mike Lindell, who in turn met with Trump to share the find.

Trump’s post noted that he has “searched the depths of legal arguments not yet articulated or vetted on this subject, and will be presenting an irrefutable one in the near future.” Could this be the “irrefutable” legal argument Trump plans to present soon? Isn’t this the plot of National Treasure?

If you are not familiar with the reference to "National Treasure," here's a link.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Treasure_(film)

This is absolutely bizarre. But it's Mike Lindell and Trump, so . . . .

[Walleye]

1. Right after we pick up those Haitian immigrants for eating people pets

[QueerDuck]

2. Do you still have the link to the website you copied this from?

[dflprincess]

3. Before I got to the "National Treasure" reference I was thinking

Last edited Wed Feb 18, 2026, 03:09 PM - Edit history (1)

Someone needs to tell Trump there's a treasure map on the back of the Declaration today will lead join to a like a gold. Plotting how to steal that would keep him busy for the next three years.

[PCIntern]

4. But he himself has to climb the outside of Independence Hall

to retrieve the special glasses.

[Jersey Devil]

5. Sounds like the movie "National Treasure" with Nicolas Cage

where, if I remember correctly, they went looking for a map written in invisible ink on the back of the Declaration of Independence.

[bucolic_frolic]

6. Bamboo parchment on microfilm

takes a long time for the ink to appear

[Ilsa]

7. So this Florida Man has access to the original Constitution?

How delightful to know that any of us can access the founding documents in their earliest drafts!

[Wiz Imp]

11. He said he found it on the microfilm which makes it even more insane.

[Ilsa]

33. I'm sure Ben Franklin had microfilm all figured out. nt

[Conjuay]

38. well there was microfilm by the time of the civil war

So what's another hundred years, give or take?

[Blue Owl]

8. MyPedo says what???

[Scrivener7]

9. Just finished watching "The Truth vs. Alex Jones" on HBO. That makes me think

Last edited Wed Feb 18, 2026, 01:45 PM - Edit history (1)

this guy will get a following. Because the monsters among us will believe anything that makes others' lives miserable. And there are a lot of monsters.

[Norrrm]

10. found "a faded shadow" of text ---- If he can see it, he can show it.

[Ilsa]

34. Actually, he found it on his morning toast. nt ;-)

[Norrrm]

39. He had two toast for breakfast. One with a Jesus portrait and one with the Consitution.

A third toast would have been Elvis.

(I'm exposing my old age to mention Elvis.)

[Wiz Imp]

12. Rachel Maddow possted about this last week.

https://democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=21021695

https://electionlawblog.org/?p=154326

In an email this morning, he wrote, it’s “important to point out to your readers that the Constitution on the surface says that the states do have 100% power over elections, but (there was an) obstructed console that was not noticed for many many years because it looks exactly like a faded shadow from the line above it, (so) I decided to go back the next day with a high-powered magnifier to add to the microfilm magnifier in order to still barely make out what it said… it said dictate electoral outcomes unfairly and the states cannot do that and then the actual words dictate electoral outcomes is also in that 1995 Supreme Court case and they elaborate in great detail such as the states powers designed by the framers were meant to be procedural, and their actions cannot compromise integrity of the election (to) favor or disfavor a certain class of candidate, or evade constitutional restraints.”

That's right, some moron believes there's super secret language in the Constitution which is only visible trough a high powered magnifier viewing a microfilm copy in a Florida library. And Trump believes that moron. Seriously.

As I wrote to the person who asked me about this, The idea that there is hidden language in the Constitution that vests electoral power in the federal government, in contradiction to the actual vesting in the states subject to congressional override in t elections, is laughable. If this is what the President was referring to as “irrefutable” proof to support an executive order on elections, he’s more gullible and ignorant than I thought.

As to U.S. Term Limits v. Thrornton, that is a Supreme Court case in which the Supreme Court held that states did not have the power, even in the Article I, Section 4 Elections Clause, to alter the qualifications listed in the Constitution to serve in Congress. In the course of discussing how the Elections Clause power does not extended to altering congressional qualifications set forth in the Constitution, Justice Stevens wrote: {snip}

I’ve bolded the language (between the asterisks) that the insane Substack post points to. It does not come close to saying what the substacker implies. Justice Stevens in U.S. Term Limits was commenting on the limited power of states under the Elections Clause to do things like dictate electoral outcomes. That’s surely right. But nothing in the case, or in the Constitution, or in the super-secret part of the Constitution visible only on microfilm in a Florida library, says that the President, acting unilaterally, has the power to make or alter state regulations on the conduct of elections. The elections clause indeed provides that the only body that can override states’ regulations of elections is Congress, not the President.

[thought crime]

13. The last words spoken by our dying democracy will be, "Obviously, Trump can't do that".

[ABC123Easy]

14. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[Mblaze]

15. A "shadow of text" on microfilm.

That's definitive. 😂 😡

[onethatcares]

16. brought to you by

Smith-Corona typewriters and microfilm machines, Pretty much need X Ray spec to read them after 250 ;years

[relayerbob]

22. What do you expect?

They had to fly in the micro film machines all the way from France and 1776.

[onethatcares]

24. i thought

they had a factory in Bowling Green

[relayerbob]

35. That was only for drones and webcams

[OldBaldy1701E]

17. And, I have now lost 15 I.Q. points.

Thanks, AOG!

[malthaussen]

20. Which means you are still fifty points higher than the average MAGAt. n/t

[OldBaldy1701E]

21. The thought that my dumb ass is fifty points above the average MAGAt is chilling, to be honest.

Comforting... but chilling...

[usedtobedemgurl]

18. Next up

They will show us the Constitution and on the back it WILK verify what this guy said. Of course, the verification will be in black sharpie. No one will ever know how it got there!

[not fooled]

19. Visible only to MAGAts

How desperate are these people?

[peggysue2]

31. Really, really desperate

Leading with evidence of a super-duper revelation about a Constitutional reading/interpretation on elections (of course), then referencing Pillow Guy's involvement is the tell of the century, a neon sign reading FALSE.

As in Pinocchio-false, pigs flying through the bright blue sky false, Trumpy-Dumpty false.

The bigger, more outrageous the lie the more the rubes will believe it. At least that's been the theory pre-Epstein cover-up, a strategy that's worked for Trump.

It will be interesting how many MAGAs will take the bait. Also, who will actively push this horseshit, go shoulder-to-shoulder with Lindell.

The craziness never ends!

[OGBuzz]

23. Indisputable proof that MAGA rots the brain.

[Dave Id]

25. ?

Is there anyone anywhere who isn't a complete nut job or racist, fascist POS that supports Trump. This has gone far beyond ridiculous.

[Ray Bruns]

29. No!

[nuxvomica]

26. No worse than Alito's psychic reading of the Constitution

Like when he asserted that Congress intended for the 14th Amendment to only be enforced by statute, even though parts of it have been enforced by the courts, frequently and with major effect, without relying on statute.

[PJMcK]

27. Okay

Constitutional Law scholars have parsed and dissected the Constitution for quite some time but they never found this important nugget but a retired hotel manager, (from Florida, no less!), found it.

Right. Got it.

[peggysue2]

32. Makes perfect sense in MAGAworld

Because scholars and experts are unnecessary, even suspect in a culture where the ordinary Joe and Karen can do their own research and feel happy, fully confident in the results. Particularly when those results line up with their personal suspicions and beliefs.

Freedumb fully defined.

[Chasstev365]

28. GOOD DONALD: Embrace your deepest feelings

We can all feel your pathetic desperation.

[Renew Deal]

30. I saw the same thing for healthcare

"The federal government will provide all healthcare services for residents"

[Ilsa]

36. You can't read the text accurately unless you have these:

?resize=1313,876&quality=90

[underpants]

37. 🤪

I was going to say something about Nicholas Cage but I see they mentioned it.

Loony tunes