For years, both Former President Donald Trump and the Republican Party have denounced mail-in voting, claiming it leads to fraud and helps Democrats steal the election. However, they are changing their tune ahead of the November 2024 election.
The Trump campaign announced its latest effort to reassure Americans that the presumptuous GOP nominee is taking action to uphold the integrity of the nation’s voting system.
The National Republican Committee (RNC) and the Trump campaign launched their "Swamp The Vote USA" effort this week, marking a major switch in his position four years ago regarding mail-in voting.
In 2020, Trump denounced the implications of not voting in person, claiming mail-in voting was a way for the Democratic Party to commit mass election fraud.
“We must swamp the radical Democrats with a massive turnout,” Trump said in a statement. “The way to win is to swamp them, if we swamp them with votes they can’t cheat.”
According to the Trump campaign, it doesn’t matter if Americans vote absentee, by mail, early in-person, or on election day— just as long as they cast their vote, citing 2024 as one of the most important elections in U.S. history.
Voters will receive vital information on their states’ voting alternatives and are told to vote early to prevent unexpected hurdles.
“Whether you vote absentee, by mail, early in-person or on election day, we are going to protect the vote,” Trump vowed. “We make sure your ballot is secure and your voice is heard. We must swamp the radical Democrats with a massive turnout. The way to win is to swamp them, if we swamp them with votes they can’t cheat. You need to make a plan, register, and vote in any way possible. We have got to get your vote."
In February, the RNC unveiled a program called Bank Your Vote to promote early voting— by mail and in person.
It calls for Republicans nationwide to embrace “ballot harvesting” where it is legal. Trump himself said that his party has “no choice” other than to accept the reality of elections and the way people vote nowadays.
Just three months ago, Trump told a crowd of supporters at a rally in Michigan that early voting was "totally corrupt" and "a hoax.” Meanwhile, last month the former president told rallygoers in New Jersey that "mail-in voting is largely corrupt.”
However, at the same event, Trump encouraged his supporters to "get an absentee or mail-in ballot, vote early or vote on Election Day.”
In April 2020, Trump told reporters he believes “a lot of people cheat with mail-in voting,” cautioning that “all sorts of bad things can happen” during the mail-in process.