Donald Trump has finally decided that if you cannot beat them, join them, and this is 100% the correct move.
Trump is now pushing voters to take advantage of early and absentee ballot voting.
Talking Points…
- Trump's previous stance
- Trump reversal
- Analysis
COVID was the excuse Democrats used to justify significantly expanding absentee and mail-in voting. This created a problem for Trump because they had been ripping it as corrupt for quite some time. Even though Democrats were embracing these methods of voting, Trump warned his supporters not to partake and insisted they vote only on election day.
Even though Trump himself voted by absentee ballot in the election, he claimed this is how people cheated. Trump stated it was okay for him because he was "out of state," but overall, he did not trust the process. At the time, Trump stated:
"No, mail ballots, they cheat. OK, people cheat.
"Mail ballots are a very dangerous thing for this country because they are cheaters."
In July 2020, Trump did another interview, still blasting this voting process, stating:
"I think mail-in voting is going to rig the election, I really do. I think it's subject to tremendous fraud.
"With mail-in ballots, people can forge 'em" and "Mail-in voting... will lead to the most corrupt election in USA history."
Trump's supporters followed his orders, and Republicans, while dominating the election day results, were crushed by absentee and early voting results. In most of the key battleground states, Trump did not lose his lead until the absentee, mail-in, and early voting results were factored in, which immediately led to Trump saying he lost due to massive voter fraud.
This time around, Trump is changing his tune, telling his supporters to take advantage of early voting, absentee, and mail-in voting, and this is the right thing to do. Much of the voting base on the right is older, so there could be more challenges in getting to the polls on election day, including weather, traffic, and being unable to get out of work. And sometimes, people don't feel like leaving their homes that day, and they figure, what is one vote?
Trump is now telling his voters to get out and vote and use whatever method they need in order to cast that vote. Trump stated:
"Whether you vote absentee, by mail, early in-person or on election day, we are going to protect the vote. 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 any way possible. We have got to get your vote."
When Trump and Republicans, in general, were scaring people away from early and mail-in voting, I blistered them during the 2020 election solely on the fact that we have a much older voting base and we needed to ensure these people cast their votes. Most states do an exceptional job, and yes, this type of voting opens itself up to fraud, but as long as the voter rolls are updated and procedures are followed in qualifying the ballots, this is not an issue that would result in the flipping of a federal election.
I thought this was an epic mistake in 2020, so I am glad that Trump and the RNC are embracing early voting and mail-in voting. As Trump stated, it does not matter how you get your vote in, make sure you get it in there. And I can tell you for a fact that I will be taking advantage of early voting this year, as will most of my friends, simply for the convenience of it. This will be a game-changer for the Republican Party in 2024… mark my words.
