Trump tries to rationalize his contradictory stances on voting by mail

President Donald Trump is urging Republican voters to cast ballots by mail even as he keeps denouncing the practice as fraudulent, and he offered no real explanation for the tension when a reporter raised it on Monday. MS NOW reports that Trump voted by mail in Florida's primaries and, three days earlier, released a video encouraging GOP voters to use the method. Yet earlier this year he called mail voting corrupt and said it invites cheating, and weeks ago he wrote on social media that elections can never be honest with mail ballots.

Asked why he would tell supporters to vote by mail if he considers it fraud, Trump said he would prefer in-person voting but that people may do either. He then repeated unsupported fraud claims and, when pressed for evidence, called the reporter fake news. MS NOW notes he has also spent much of the year backing a sweeping bill that would sharply restrict voting, including mail-in balloting.

The New York Times reported that Republican officials worry his attacks on mail balloting hurt them in a difficult election year, since both parties normally work to get supporters to vote early by mail.

Summarized by PolitiKool from MS NOW’s reporting. Read the full story at MS NOW →