US President Donald Trump voted by mail in the Florida Republican primaries, which are taking place on August 18 and will determine the Republican Party’s candidate for the state governor position. This happened despite the fact that Trump has repeatedly criticized mail‑in voting and called for limiting its use ahead of the midterm elections in November.
According to the voting records of Palm Beach County, cited by American media, Trump requested a ballot at the end of July and returned it last week. For many years, Trump has baselessly claimed that mail‑in voting is vulnerable to fraud, often linking it to his false claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him.
“Mail ballots are inherently corrupt,” he said during a July speech on election security.
White House position on Trump’s voting
The White House said that Trump’s mail‑in voting does not contradict his stance because he was outside Florida at the time. Administration representatives cited the exceptions allowed under the legislation the president is promoting to limit this practice.
“As President Trump has stated, the SAVE America Act provides reasonable exceptions for Americans, allowing the use of mail ballots in cases of illness, disability, military service, or travel, but universal mail‑in voting should not be allowed as it is highly vulnerable to fraud,” AFP reported White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales as saying.
“As everyone knows, the president is a resident of Palm Beach and participates in elections in Florida, but he primarily resides in the White House in Washington, D.C. This is not news,” she added. White House officials note that Trump has not been in the “Sunshine State” for several months.
Florida law allows any eligible registered voter to request a mail ballot. The state, where Republicans control the government, has tightened voter‑identification rules and ballot‑processing procedures in recent years.
Trump’s initiatives to limit mail‑in voting
Meanwhile, Trump has urged Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, which would impose stricter identity and citizenship verification requirements and significantly curb mail‑in voting. His administration is also appealing to the Supreme Court to restore parts of an executive order on election procedures that lower courts have blocked.
This is not the first time Trump has used a system he regularly criticizes. He voted by mail in Palm Beach County in 2020 and again during special elections in Florida in early 2026. After the most recent vote, Trump defended his decision, noting he was outside the state, but reiterated his overall opposition to mail‑in voting.
“No, I think mail‑in voting is a terrible thing,” he said. “I think that if you vote, you should come in person.”
The Republican primaries in Florida will determine the party’s candidate for the state governor race. Current Governor Ron DeSantis cannot run for a third term because of term limits. Trump supports Congressman Byron Donalds.
Source: The Straits Times
