Trump votes by mail in Florida primary despite calling ballots 'corrupt'
Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- U.S. President Donald Trump voted by mail in Florida's Republican primary, despite frequently criticizing the practice as fraudulent.
- Trump's campaign cited exceptions for illness, disability, military service, or travel as justification for his vote, arguing universal mail-in voting should be restricted.
- This is not the first time Trump has used mail-in voting, having done so in previous elections in 2020 and earlier this year, while continuing to publicly denounce the method.
U.S. President Donald Trump cast his vote by mail in Florida's Republican primary on Tuesday, a move that contrasts sharply with his consistent public denouncements of mail-in ballots as "inherently corrupt."
Mail-in ballots are inherently corrupt.
Records from Palm Beach County indicate Trump requested a mail-in ballot in late July and returned it last week. The White House defended his action, stating that the president's vote fell under exceptions for illness, disability, military service, or travel, as outlined in the SAVE America Act, which Trump advocates for restricting universal mail-in voting.
As President Trump has said, the SAVE America Act has commonsense exceptions for Americans to use mail-in ballots for illness, disability, military, or travel, but universal mail-in voting should not be allowed because itโs highly susceptible to fraud.
"As President Trump has said, the SAVE America Act has commonsense exceptions for Americans to use mail-in ballots for illness, disability, military, or travel, but universal mail-in voting should not be allowed because itโs highly susceptible to fraud," White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales told AFP. She added that Trump primarily resides in Washington D.C. and that his participation in Florida elections via mail-in ballot is a "non-story."
This is a non-story.
This instance marks a repeat of Trump's past actions; he also voted by mail in Palm Beach County in 2020 and during a Florida special election earlier this year. Following the latter vote, Trump acknowledged voting while away from the state but reiterated his broader opposition, stating, "No, I think mail-in voting is a terrible thing. I think if you vote, you should go."
No, I think mail-in voting is a terrible thing. I think if you vote, you should go.
Originally published by Vanguard in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.