WASHINGTON, D.C. — Despite his attacks on voting by mail, President Donald Trump, as well as First Lady Melania Trump, formally requested mail-in ballots ahead of Florida’s primary election Tuesday.
The request for mail-in ballots came Wednesday, as reported by the Palm Beach Post, which gathered the information from the Palm Beach County elections website.
Despite his attempts to discredit mail-in voting, Trump claimed earlier in August that the voting by mail system in Florida is “Safe and Secure, Tried and True.”
Trump also said Thursday he is firmly opposed to additional funding for the U.S. Postal Service, acknowledging that his position will make it more difficult for Americans to vote by mail during the coronavirus pandemic.
The president told Fox Business that Democrats’ demands for $3.6 billion for mail-in voting and $25 billion for the USPS are nonstarters in coronavirus relief talks.
”Those are just two items. But if they don't get those two items, that means you can't have universal mail-in voting because they're not equipped to have it," Trump said.
Mail-in voting will be more prevalent in November, as voters try to avoid crowds during the pandemic. Some states are moving to universal mail-in ballots, while others are requiring voters to either opt in or report to polling sites.