Trump votes early in Florida and says he backed Republicans across the ballot
Donald Trump and Melania Trump voted in person in West Palm Beach on Oct. 24, ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections. At the polling place, the president said he voted for Republicans.
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump voted early in person at the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections office in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Saturday, Oct. 24, ahead of the Nov. 3 US midterm elections. Trump said he voted for Republican candidates as his party sought to retain control of Congress.
Asked by reporters at the polling place whether he had voted the party line, Trump, wearing an ‘I Voted’ sticker, replied, ‘Very much so,’ according to the Associated Press. AFP also reported that he said he had voted exclusively for Republicans. He and Melania Trump cast their ballots before the president traveled to a campaign rally in Georgia.
Trump’s voting method and the midterm schedule
The in-person vote drew attention because Trump has repeatedly criticized voting by mail, a method he has used himself, the AP and CBS News reported. His earlier use of mail ballots has prompted criticism over the difference between his own voting practice and his public attacks on that method.
Florida’s early-voting period began Oct. 24 and runs through Oct. 31, CBS reported. Trump had said earlier in the week that he preferred voting on Election Day, according to CBS, but cast his ballot on the first day of early voting instead. The vote came as he continued traveling to rallies for Republican candidates.
CBS said Trump was headed to Georgia to support Republican representatives Mike Collins and Rick Jackson. The trip placed his own ballot-casting alongside his campaign efforts for other Republicans in the final stretch before voters choose the next Congress.
What Trump said after voting
At the polling place, Trump repeated his false claim that the 2020 presidential election was ‘a rigged election,’ AFP reported. Asked about corruption as an issue for voters, he alleged it was occurring in Democratic-controlled districts and cities. Those assertions were his claims, rather than findings established by the voting event.
The AP also reported that Trump defended an advertisement by Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy while speaking to reporters after voting. His comments ranged beyond Florida’s election, but the immediate development was his and the first lady’s completed in-person ballots ahead of the Nov. 3 vote.
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Sources and context
- Trump casts his midterm ballot early in FloridaPBS NewsHour, reporting by the Associated Press
- Trump votes early in Florida for US midterm electionsThe Straits Times, reporting by AFP
- President Trump, first lady vote early in person in FloridaCBS News
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.