President Donald Trump reinforced his support for Republican participation in the upcoming midterm elections on Monday while simultaneously promoting unsubstantiated allegations about the integrity of mail-in ballots. The comments were made during a gathering on the White House South Lawn, where the president met with reporters before departing for a campaign rally in Nebraska.
When pressed on the apparent contradiction between urging voters to utilize mail-in options and his long-standing assertions that such ballots are fraudulent, Trump stated, “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.” He then added, without offering evidence, that he believes there is significant cheating involved in vote-by-mail procedures and suggested that reporters should investigate electoral processes in California.
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s press office had previously dismissed similar claims as lies in June, following Trump’s unfounded accusations of fraud during the state’s primary election.
The president’s remarks occurred against the backdrop of a meeting with Tina Peters, the former county clerk of Mesa County, Colorado. Peters, a prominent 2020 election denier, was convicted on state charges for her role in an attempt to breach Colorado’s voting systems while searching for proof of election fraud. She was released from prison in June after Colorado Governor Jared Polis granted her clemency, a move made after sustained pressure from the president.
Trump has actively encouraged early and mail-in voting in a video posted to social media on October 3, writing, “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.” The president has personally voted by mail twice in Florida this year, including during the recent primary, and has also cast early ballots during his tenure in office.
Trump referenced an incident in Maricopa County, Arizona, where officials reported that a contractor accidentally mailed more than 3,000 early ballots six days ahead of schedule. A spokesperson for the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office confirmed that no voters were harmed and that the ballots remained valid. Despite this clarification, Trump criticized the county, stating, “Maricopa just sent out thousands of ballots in error… And they have to be ashamed of themselves,” before correcting himself to say there were “no errors” and labeling the county “very, very dishonest.”
Legal challenges regarding mail-in voting have been ongoing. Earlier this month, the Trump administration filed an emergency appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court to implement new USPS mail ballot rules for November. The Court rejected the appeal, allowing states to proceed with sending out mail-in ballots as planned for the midterms.
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