Despite calls to eliminate most mail voting, President Donald Trump voted by mail in Tuesday’s Florida Republican primary, Scripps News has learned.
White House spokesperson Olivia Wales defended Trump’s use of a mail ballot despite his broader opposition to voting outside of in-person polling places, calling it a “non-story.”
Earlier this year, Trump signed an executive order that would require the U.S. Postal Service to send ballots only to addresses preauthorized by the government.
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Federal courts have temporarily blocked the executive order.
Trump also has pushed to eliminate no-excuse mail voting while allowing exemptions for some voters through the SAVE America Act. His proposal also would require voters to include a copy of their identification with their ballot.
“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 it’s highly susceptible to fraud,” Wales said. “As everyone knows, the president is a resident of Palm Beach and participates in Florida elections, but he obviously primarily lives at the White House in Washington.”
Trump has not been to Florida in months.
Tuesday’s election was not the first time Trump voted by mail in Florida. Earlier this year, he cast a mail ballot in a special election.
Since losing the 2020 election, Trump has repeatedly questioned election results in states that allow mail voting and do not require voter identification. Multiple audits and reviews found no evidence of widespread fraud, though officials identified isolated cases of illegal voting.
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Several states expanded mail voting access in 2020, extending early voting periods and adopting other measures to make voting from home easier during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The United States Democracy Center said 31% of voters cast ballots by mail in the 2024 election.
