President Donald Trump has voted by mail in Florida, even after repeatedly criticizing the method and labeling mail-in ballots as “inherently corrupt.” Trump participated in Florida’s Republican primary. Palm Beach County records confirm he requested a mail ballot in late July and returned it on August 13, days before the primary, as reported by Politico. This is the second instance this year where Trump used a mail-in ballot in Florida.
Earlier in March, Trump voted by mail in a Florida special election despite publicly disapproving of it. He justified this choice by citing his position as president. Records, however, showed he was present in Palm Beach during the early in-person voting period, according to the Associated Press. The White House had dismissed earlier criticisms of Trump’s actions as insignificant.
What a joke. It’s almost like Donald Trump thinks we’re a bunch of idiots. The President whines about mail-in voting day after day, only to turn around and vote by mail himself.– Santiago Mayer, executive director of Voters of Tomorrow
Santiago Mayer of Voters of Tomorrow expressed his views in an email to Newsweek, highlighting Trump’s hypocrisy on mail-in voting. He criticized Trump for his inconsistent actions, describing him as a danger to democracy and calling for a Congress that will hold the administration accountable.
Mail-In Voting Controversy
In July, Trump called mail-in ballots “inherently corrupt” and advocated for restricting them to specific circumstances such as illness, disability, military deployment, or travel. Fact-checkers refute claims of significant mail-voting fraud. A 2025 study by the Brookings Institution estimated about four fraud cases for every 10 million mail ballots. In 2024, approximately 30% of presidential election ballots were mailed, federal data shows.
Trump’s Mail Voting History
- August 2026 Primary Election in Florida
- March 2026 Special Election in Florida
- Florida’s 2020 Primary Election
- New York 2018 Midterm election via absentee ballot
- New York 2017 Mayoral election via absentee ballot
SAVE America Act
Trump has been urging Congress to pass the SAVE America Act. This legislation requires documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration in federal elections. Trump’s tactics have included pairing this proposal with a defense spending package and urging Senate Republicans to bypass the filibuster for easier passage. He has also campaigned on social media, emphasizing the act as a legislative priority.
Supporters believe the proposal will enhance election security. Opponents argue that it could obstruct eligible citizens from voting without addressing the claimed issue of non-citizen voting significantly.
This story is developing and will be updated as more details emerge.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Samantha Beech and Gray R. Thomas.
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