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President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump requested mail-in ballots. They did so in time for Tuesday’s Florida primary election. Palm Beach County records show this, despite ongoing attacks on voting by mail.
Records from the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections website show something interesting. Mail-in ballots arrived at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club on Wednesday. The club is considered Trump’s permanent residence since last year.
Trump recently blocked funding to the post office in an attempt to deter mail-in voting. He has also recently claimed that Florida’s voting system is secure. Trump said he did so because he doesn’t want to see the post office used for mail-in voting.
Earlier this month, Trump tweeted:
“Whether you call it Vote by Mail or Absentee Voting, in Florida the election system is Safe and Secure. Tried and True. 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!”
Judd Deere, the White House deputy secretary, also told CNN that, “the President supports absentee voting. Not universal mail-in voting, which contain several safeguards that prevent fraud and abuse.”
However, election experts say there is no real difference between mail-in voting and absentee voting. They say the two are “essentially the same thing.”
Related: President Trump Blocks Funding to Post Office Over Mail-in Voting
Earlier this month, Trump was asked about his support for mail-in ballots specifically in Florida. He seemed to imply that Democratic states’ mail-in voting programs are not up to par. However, he said that Republican states are sufficient.
“So Florida’s got a great Republican governor and it had a great Republican governor [before that] … and over a long period of time they’ve been able to get the absentee ballots done extremely professionally. Florida’s different from other states,” said Trump.
Trump then went on to criticize the mail-in efforts in states run by Democratic governors specifically in New York and Nevada.
Mail-in votes have been a hot topic over recent weeks as the November election approaches. Thanks to COVID-19, mail-in ballots can help residents avoid infection from polling centers.
However, Trump and other Republicans have been very vocal about saying mail-in voting is rife with fraud. Regardless, there is no proof of widespread voter fraud. Nonpartisan experts say neither party benefits if states expand access to mail-in voting.
Related: Video of Trump Voting Absentee in 2004 Surfaces, Undercutting Mail-in Ballot Claims
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