The president has urged Republicans to vote by mail ahead of the midterms, even as he keeps insisting the system is full of cheating. When asked on Monday why he encourages voting by mail while repeatedly calling it fraudulent, he pushed back against the question.
“No, vote by mail or vote in person. I’d rather have a vote in person. But they can vote by mail if they want, because we seem to have no choice,” Trump said during a White House gaggle on the South Lawn, where he was traveling to Nebraska for a political rally. He then claimed, without offering proof, that there is widespread cheating in vote-by-mail systems.
“What we’re concerned about is there seems to be a lot of- not seems to be, there is a lot of cheating in vote by mail,” Trump said. He directed reporters to examine elections in California.
“Trump is lying about California again,” Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office said back in June after Trump made baseless accusations of fraud in the state’s primary election.
The Mail-In Voting Push
Throughout the midterm cycle, Trump has urged voters to mail their ballots, a move that could decide which party controls Congress and shape the course of his remaining two years as president. His message has stayed the same: get your vote in early.
“Vote early, vote by mail or vote in person on Election Day, November 3rd, so we can defeat the radical left Dumocrats in a midterm victory that is too big to rig,” Trump said in a video posted to his social media on October 3.
This year, he has voted by mail in two Florida elections, with the most recent being the state’s primary contest. He has likewise cast his ballot ahead of time during his time in office, including for the Florida Republican primary held in 2024.
Peters and the Colorado Scheme
The remarks came amid a meeting at the White House with Tina Peters, the 2020 election denier and former county clerk of Mesa County, Colorado. Sources confirmed to ABC News that the meeting took place on Monday.
Peters was found guilty on state charges in a scheme to break into the state’s voting systems as she searched for proof of election fraud in 2020. The state’s Democratic governor, Jared Polis, earlier this year granted Peters clemency following repeated calls from the president urging the state to let her go. Peters was freed from prison in June.
The Legal Challenges
This year, the administration has found itself embroiled in legal disputes concerning mail-in voting regulations. Just last month, the White House took the extraordinary step of filing an emergency appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court, asking the nation’s highest court to impose new U.S. Postal Service rules governing mailed ballots for the upcoming November election at once.
The high court declined to hear that case, which leaves states free to continue sending out mail-in ballots as they had been doing before the midterms.
The Maricopa Error
Trump latched onto a story from Maricopa County, Arizona, on Monday. Officials reported Sunday that a contractor mistakenly dispatched 3,126 early ballots six days ahead of when they were scheduled to go out.
In a statement, the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office said no voters were harmed and “upon consultation with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, it was determined that the ballots remain valid and do not need to be voided or reissued.”
Despite that statement, Trump said the country should “be ashamed of themselves.”
“So Maricopa just sent out thousands of ballots in error. Maricopa County in Arizona. And they have to be ashamed of themselves,” Trump said. He then corrected himself: “By the way, there were no errors. You know that, right?”
He added: “Maricopa is a very, very dishonest county.”
The Contradiction
The contradiction is clear. In the same news cycle, Trump is asking Republicans to vote by mail while also saying the system is rigged against him. He has done both at once.
Twice this year in Florida, Trump has voted by mail, including during the state’s most recent primary election.
What This Means for the Midterms
Weeks remain before the midterms, and control of Congress is still undecided.
He keeps his message plain: cast your ballot, yet watch the system closely. He advises voting early, voting by mail, or voting in person on Election Day. The bottom line is the same either way: just vote.
His warnings actually weaken his own encouragement. If vote-by-mail systems are full of cheating, then encouraging people to use them makes no sense.
Key Facts Box
- Trump voted by mail twice in Florida elections this year
- Peters was found guilty on state charges in a scheme to break into Colorado’s voting systems
- Polis granted Peters clemency following repeated calls from Trump
- Peters was freed from prison in June
- The Supreme Court rejected the emergency appeal filed by the White House
- Maricopa County sent out 3,126 early ballots in error
- No voters were harmed, per the Recorder’s Office
- The Recorder’s Office said the ballots remain valid and do not need to be voided or reissued
Two distinct signals are coming from the president. One urges action at the polls. The other declares the system itself to be failing. These two messages contradict each other, and he fully understands that contradiction.
These conflicts are nothing new, though they are growing ever more difficult to overlook. The current president is urging Republicans to put their faith in the system and cast ballots, all while devoting his entire term to dismantling it. Such a stance from someone in office is unusual, and there is little sign it will shift before the November election 3rd.
Source material: “Trump says Republicans should 'vote by mail if they want,' as long as they vote,” ABC News.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.