Trump says he's going to 'lead a movement' to get rid of mail-in ballots

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: WUSA-TV Washington, D.C./AP

Published: 9:24 AM EDT August 18, 2025
Updated: 9:24 AM EDT August 18, 2025


WASHINGTON — Ahead of a critical meeting with Ukrainian leader Zelenskyy, Trump made it clear he has other things also on his mind. He said in a social media post Monday morning that he’ll be issuing an executive order to “help bring HONESTY to the 2026 Midterm Elections.”

Saying he will “lead a movement” to get rid of mail-in ballots and voting machines, Trump added in all-caps: “I, AND THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, WILL FIGHT LIKE HELL TO BRING HONESTY AND INTEGRITY BACK TO OUR ELECTIONS.”

When Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, the two men agreed on the “dishonest” nature of using mail-in ballots, the U.S. president said. “He said there’s not a country in the world that uses it now,” Trump said Putin told him of the process. Trump recounted that conversation during an interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity.

This comes after Trump urged Texas Republicans to draw new congressional maps to maintain the party's slim U.S. House majority after the 2026 midterm elections. In response, California is wading into the redistricting fight.


Read more: https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/nation-world/trump-executive-order-voting/507-9a854450-2130-499d-86bb-fa55fc3ccbcf

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Bill Barr testifies (behind closed doors) today regarding Epstein, so...

[johnnyfins]

1. Too bad that elections are run by each

state, dickhead.

[eppur_se_muova]

13. No States' Rights for the new GOP, the "States' Rights Party". And f*** the Tenth Amendment. nt

[Norrrm]

2. So military stationed overseas lose their right to vote.

[Bengus81]

7. Trump would allow the Military to vote as a group for the Fuhrer or Republicans

Democrats need not apply.

[bamagal62]

26. And, all the expats

That live overseas but still have to pay taxes?

[sinkingfeeling]

3. Got his marching orders from his saintly leader.

[homegirl]

38. And mail in

ballots are part of the process in Russia!

So Vladimir threw Donny a bone!

[twodogsbarking]

4. My polling place is a short walk but I vote by mail. Polling places can be dangerous with everyone having guns.

[BonnieJW]

11. I get a mail in ballot

But I deliver it in person. I no longer trust the post office with my ballot

[niyad]

22. I get a mal-in ballot, and drop it in the official drop box directly in front

of city hall, waving to the cameras.I absolutely do not trust the post office.

[FakeNoose]

5. Why don't we collect all the ballots and send them to Russia so Pootie can count them?

That would sure save us a lot of trouble in the USA! It's probably cheaper in the long run too.

[Bengus81]

6. Putin said he doesn't like them so now Trump is following suit

We now know for sure who's running the County.

[slightlv]

9. Really, since when did we ever do what Russia told us to do?

Gods almighty! Can republicans be anymore the communists?

[vapor2]

18. Soon the Russian flag will be raised over the WH

[slightlv]

24. Why not? It'd be truth in advertising! After all, they took down the US flag and put up a trump flag!

[BumRushDaShow]

30. Well it IS "red white and blue"

but in a different order!

[Zorro]

15. And...Putin signed legislation to allow Russia mail-in ballots...

[slightlv]

8. Make sure he waddles his fat old ass down to the polls...

no mailing in for him, no having someone take it in for him. If he's going to hurt all seniors and disabled, he can hurt, too...

[Doodley]

10. One question, the gutless press will not directly ask Trump: "Why do you keep repeating Putin's talking points,

on insisting Ukraine give up its land, that Russia didn't start the war, on false claims about stolen elections, and on mail-in voting, when it makes you look like Putin's puppet?

[IronLionZion]

12. Bowel movement

[twodogsbarking]

14. Make voting safer. Get rid of Trump.

[love_katz]

16. $hitler better not touch my state's vote by mail!

We have been voting that way for at least 32 years, without problems.

He can take his wannabe dictatorship and shove it where the sun doesn't shine.

[Mr.Bee]

17. Because of course

We should have a country run like Russia, and we should listen to whatever PUTIN says!
Guess who got their marching orders!

[ProudMNDemocrat]

19. Yeah right, Donnie!..DISENFRANCHISE shut in Seniors, the Disabled,,,,,,

Those who are not able to stand in line at their designated polling place for hours on end.

This is a SCAM to tell us that making voting EASIER is actually making voting HARDER or not at all. This is NOT for him to tell states how they are to conduct Elections for Local, State, and Federal offices.

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

20. Now that they have the Tripp Lite and Starlink vote shaving system in place, they don't want real proof...

... of voters ballots.

[mzmolly]

21. AND voting machines.

So, democracy.

[Vinca]

23. Does that mean he's going to start dragging his fat ass to the polls?

[OnlinePoker]

25. More than 48 million mail-in ballots were cast in the 2024 presidential election.

Imagine how long the lines would be if all those extra voters showed up on election day (or in early voting).

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5379475-mail-ballots-2024-presidential-election-research/

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

47. Especially if voting is limited to one day.

Dementia Don and the GOP is working to make it harder for people to vote, not easier. That's a long-time goal, accelerated when Scalia and Roberts wiped out half the Voting Rights Act, because, "It's been 50 years, so nobody's going to do anything like they did before it was enacted." Yeah. It took exactly one month for the affected states (Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, etc. -- the usual suspects) to put their restrictions back in place.

[Eliot Rosewater]

27. Yes please everybody tell me you understand there is very little chance

We will be allowed to vote in the next election, or have the vote counted.

The National Guard and military will be sent to every blue city etc. and red states where we vote.

Unfortunately MANY will not go out to vote because they will be afraid, do not count on elections please.

[thought crime]

44. They only have to change turnout slightly.

Then claim a landslide.

[forgotmylogin]

28. He doesn't want mail in, he doesn't want machines...

And he wants the election called as soon as polling places close. That just don't work.

[rsdsharp]

29. Donnie, it's an executive order, it's not a royal proclamation.

Executive orders relate solely to the executive branch. You can’t directly order the states to do anything.

Under Article IV of the Constitution, the time place and manner of voting is left to the states. You can’t unilaterally override that. The real risk is that the (Republican) Congress can, and will, although there are certainly equal protection arguments against solely in person voting (not to mention the logistical nightmare that would entail).

[ToxMarz]

31. The only movement he ever lead was a bowel movement

straight into his Depends.

[KPN]

32. And we're supporting a movement to get rid of him. nt

[greatauntoftriplets]

33. It would disenfranchise the disabled.

Not a big drumpf voting bloc.

[Moostache]

34. Hey Two-Scoops? STFU!

If you were even remotely serious about election "integrity" the budget assistance for states to administer federal elections would DWARF that of your private Gestapo/I.C.E. thugs.

[the nelm]

35. "BRING HONESTY AND INTEGRITY BACK TO OUR ELECTIONS."

Sure thing Donnie. Let's start with the most obvious - convicted felons are ineligible for any public office in the land.

[MacKasey]

36. Another way to grift!

[Botany]

37. Republicans have to cheat.

https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/soldier-voting-act-1942-absentee-ballots

[Zackzzzz]

39. I'm Confused

Can Mr. Trump vote?

I thought felons cannot vote.

[BumRushDaShow]

40. In Florida

which is *purportedly* now his "official residence", by law that only applies if the felony convictions happened IN Florida. Since he was convicted in NY, then he is free and clear in FL (but obviously not in NY if he ever decided to move back there).

[moose65]

41. Two funny things about that..

1. Trump himself has voted by mail in the past. Did he commit fraud?

2. Republicans (like those in NC) spent a decade promoting vote-by-mail, since it was a system that was used primarily by senior citizens (a group that leans Republican). For example, in the 2016 election in NC, there were 191,601 ballots cast by mail. Of those, 76,154 were requested by Republican voters, to 60,043 from Democratic voters.

In 2020 in NC, there were 1,001,596 ballots cast by mail! Of those, Dems outnumbered Republicans 445,396 to 207,750.

That's really what this is about. They don't really think voting by mail is wrong. If you're a Republican!

By the way, in 2024 the number of voters who voted by mail went back down to 298,007. Democrats still outnumbered Republicans, though: 103,725 to 76,083 (the largest group were Unaffiliated voters). This may not have their intended outcome: looks like they've poisoned vote-by-mail for Republicans, which doesn't bother me one bit!

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

42. Alright, who kissed his oversized ass and told him he could do this via executive order?

Stephen Miller? Laura Loomer? Pam Bondi? Maybe JD Vance?

[LetMyPeopleVote]

43. Maddow blog-Trump eyes yet another power grab, takes aim at voting machines and mail-in ballots

The president’s sweeping executive order on elections lost in the courts, but his latest threats make clear that his radical ambitions haven’t changed.

It’s easy to shrug when Trump talks about leading “a movement” against mail-in ballots and voting machines.

But when he starts talking about imposing his version of “honesty” on the 2026 midterms, alarm bells start going off. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2025-08-18T16:03:24.048Z

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-eyes-yet-another-power-grab-takes-aim-voting-machines-mail-ballo-rcna225602

Predictably, the executive order faced immediate legal challenges, and a federal judges blocked the Republican’s outlandish power grab from going forward.

He’s apparently not giving up. NBC News reported:

Trump said in a post to Truth Social that he would sign an executive order to try to get rid of mail-in ballots and voting machines, a move that would almost certainly face immediate challenges in court. The president said in the post that he was ‘going to lead a movement to get rid of MAIL-IN BALLOTS’ and voting machines.

The 288-word online tantrum — complete with six exclamation points, a robust number of sentences written with the caps lock on and the word “woke” — was remarkable in its inanity.

Trump claimed that no other country on the planet “uses Mail-In Voting,” which isn’t even close to being true. He similarly accused Democrats of cheating in elections, which also isn’t true......

And now Trump is eyeing another presidential directive to ensure his version of “honesty” is applied to next year’s elections.

Journalist and historian Garrett Graff noted in response to the latest online rant from the White House, “This is step one in how we lose free and fair elections. It’s not that Trump will ‘cancel’ the midterms. It’s just everyone has to vote in person, and urban downtowns will be filled with ICE checkpoints and intimidating National Guard troops to ‘double check’ that only citizens vote.”

[LetMyPeopleVote]

45. I have some history on vote by mail in Texas

Back in 2011, the Texas GOP passed a voter id law that was later largely gutted in court. Part of that voter id law excluded vote by mail ballots from the voter id requirements because at the time, the GOP was relying on vote by mail for voter turnout. The GOP base is older than the Democratic base and tended to vote by mail more that Democrats. In 2010, the GOP had 4 times the number of voters who voted early in the GOP primary compared to Democratic voters. The Democratic Party started to push vote by mail for our eligible voters who may not have had the proper id. Here is a post about the push by the Texas Democratic Party on vote by mail https://www.democraticunderground.com/107814375

Over the years, the Texas Democrats have narrowed the gap in vote by mail ballots. Now trump thinks that Democrats are using vote by mail more that republicans and that appears to be true in some states.

I note that trump has encouraged vote by mail and has voted by mail

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[BumRushDaShow]

46. We only got the mail voting option (technically called the "no-excuse absentee ballot" ) in 2019

and it went into effect in 2020 for the primary (that was delayed a couple months due to the pandemic), making it a godsend during the pandemic.

But after 10 more "regular elections" since (primaries and general elections, not counting some special elections during that period), and despite all the hullaboo, although Democrats still tend to use that method, and not counting the first year (which was impacted by the pandemic where more used that due to many polling locations cut), overall here in PA, only about 1/3rd of the voters vote that way. The rest still vote "in person" on election day.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

48. I'm sure the movement to get rid of Trump is more popular

[LetMyPeopleVote]

49. MaddowBlog-Trump's crusade against mail-in ballots isn't doing Republicans any favors

Republican officials want their party’s voters to cast their ballots through the mail. The president’s rhetoric is undermining his party’s message.

Link to tweet

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trumps-crusade-mail-ballots-isnt-republicans-favors-rcna225844

Then Trump hosted an Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during which the Republican became rather animated — but not about the largest war in Europe since World War II. Rather, the American president got worked up talking about how much he hates when Americans vote by casting ballots through the mail.

Trump echoes comments he said Putin made to him last Friday: "Mail in ballots are corrupt. You can never have a real democracy w/ mail in ballots. We as a Republican Party are gonna do everything possible. We're gonna start with an executive order to end mail in ballots."

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-08-18T17:44:45.317Z

.....To justify this radical and aggressive offensive against this form of voting, Trump is peddling a variety of stale lies. More importantly, he’s claiming legal authority he does not have. But whether he realizes it or not, the president is also taking steps that won’t do his party any favors. Politico reported that he’s “once again threatening to undermine” a Republican electoral priority.

Republicans poured tens of millions of dollars last year into convincing their voters that casting ballots by mail was safe after Trump spent years bashing the practice and baselessly insisting it was rife with fraud. And it worked, with GOP voters closing or even reversing the mail voting gap with Democrats in several states. But now Trump is attacking mail voting again as he ratchets up his push to protect Republicans’ House majority in the midterms, scrambling a strategy Republicans effectively used to bank millions of votes in 2024.

Politico quoted Barrett Marson, a longtime GOP consultant in Arizona, who said voting by mail “historically has been an advantage for Republicans” in the Grand Canyon State and is a “safe and secure way to vote and has been for a generation in Arizona.” He added, however, that as the president sows “distrust” in the process and Democrats step up their game, the result is “not good” for Republicans.

It would be tough to blame GOP voters for feeling confused at this point. For years, Trump, the party’s undisputed leader, has veered wildly between two opposite positions. On the one hand, he’s falsely condemned mail-in voting as irredeemably corrupt and “stupid.” On the other hand, in between delivering those condemnations, the president has also encouraged rank-and-file GOP voters to cast their ballots through the mail.

At one point in 2023, Trump even told attendees at the Conservative Political Action Conference that it was time for Republicans to “change our thinking” on mail-in voting, and soon after, he filmed a video for the Republican National Committee in support of the party’s early voting initiative.

In Texas, vote by mail is a key part of the GOP GOTV efforts. A larger percentage of GOP voters are older and vote by mail. trump may be hurting GOP GOTV efforts