Donald Trump And Melania Trump Reportedly Requested Mail-In Ballots
Donald Trump has been railing against mail-in voting in recent days, claiming it carries a high potential for fraud, but both Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, reportedly requested mail-in ballots on Tuesday.
As CNN anchor Ana Cabrera reported via Twitter, the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections shows in its records that two ballots were mailed yesterday to Mar-a-Lago for the president and first lady. The move will allow the two to vote in Florida’s primary race through the United States Postal Service.
In the past weeks, Trump has repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that voting by mail will lead to widespread voter fraud and potentially election interference in the upcoming 2020 presidential race.
Last week, however, Trump clarified that he felt that it was safe to vote by mail in the Sunshine State, as the Daily Beast reported at the time.
“Whether you call it Vote by Mail or Absentee Voting, in Florida the election system is Safe and Secure, Tried and True,” and said that “Florida’s Voting system has been cleaned up (we defeated Democrats attempts at change), so in Florida I encourage all to request a Ballot & Vote by Mail!”
Critics suggested that Trump’s about-face came after he realized that many older Republicans vote by mail, a group that is expected to vote for Trump by a wide margin.
Trump has also expressed support for absentee voting, though some experts point out that both methods are essentially the same.
The news comes hours after Trump said that he opposes funding the post office because it would mean more voting by mail in the upcoming race, as CNN reported.
During an interview, Trump said that democrats proposed $25 billion in funding for the post office, which he likened to political spending, since it would enable the service to move “millions and millions of ballots.”
Trump’s comments were met with backlash from politicians and pundits who felt that he was trying to sabotage the 2020 race and force people to go out in public during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Some likened his comments to voter suppression.
Former Vice President Joe Biden, Trump’s presumed opponent for the White House, slammed Trump’s comments.
But Trump made Mar-a-Lago his permanent residence last year, which means that he would need to be there in person if he wanted to participate in the state’s primary. His move could provide democrats with fodder to support their claim that Trump’s opposition to mail-in voting is purely political.
