Trump advocates for mail and early voting despite historically opposing both

President Donald Trump urged Americans to cast their votes using "every appropriate tool" in a pre-recorded video, promoting methods he has historically opposed, including mail and early voting, ahead of the midterm elections. In the video released on Saturday, Trump encouraged those in states with early voting to "go out and vote," "vote early, vote by mail, or vote in person on Election Day."

This stance is unusual, considering Trump's past criticism of mail-in voting and efforts to limit it since the start of his second term, though these attempts have faced legal challenges. The video's message aligns with Trump's midterm strategy, which has focused on mobilizing his base rather than attracting undecided voters. The Supreme Court recently ruled against significant restrictions on mail voting, rejecting a plan to alter how mail ballots were sent to voters ahead of the midterms, after state officials expressed insufficient time to implement these provisions from a March executive order issued by Trump.

In response to the court's decision, Trump labeled the nation's mail-in voting system a "disaster" and a "nation-destroying scam" on social media. Despite falsely claiming widespread fraud from mail-in voting, Trump has personally voted by mail in recent elections, including a Florida state House special election in March. Trump's campaign has also promoted absentee, mail-in, and early voting through "Swamp The Vote USA."

With one month remaining until the midterms, over one million ballots have already been cast, and in several states with critical Senate or gubernatorial races, Democrats have been casting ballots at a higher rate compared to this time in 2024. Democrats have historically been more inclined to vote before Election Day.