Trump Justifies Mail-In Ballot in Florida Election: 'Because I'm the President'

During a Cabinet meeting at the White House, President Donald Trump addressed his recent choice to cast a mail-in ballot for a special election in Florida, stating, “You know what, because I’m president of the United States.”

His comments came just days after he labeled mail-in voting as “mail-in cheating.” Trump elaborated on his decision, citing his inability to attend the election in person due to various commitments. “I decided that I was going to vote by mail-in ballot because I couldn’t be there,” he explained.

In-person early voting for Florida’s House District 87 special election was available from March 14 to March 22 at two locations in Palm Beach County, including weekends, according to a staff member from the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections office.

Trump spent the weekend of March 20-22 at his Mar-a-Lago resort, where he was engaged in activities at his golf course. On the actual election day, he hosted a swearing-in ceremony for Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and participated in several policy meetings.

Despite his own use of mail-in voting, Trump has consistently criticized the practice. Just a day before his Cabinet meeting, he reiterated his stance during a roundtable discussion in Memphis, Tennessee, declaring, “Mail-in voting means mail-in cheating.”

Historically, Trump has claimed that mail-in ballots lead to widespread fraud, although he has provided no evidence to support this assertion. In 2020, he acknowledged casting a mail ballot himself, justifying it by saying, “because I’m allowed to.”

He differentiated between voters who are out of state and those who vote in person, stating, “There’s a big difference between somebody who is out of state and does a ballot and everything is sealed and certified.”

Trump has been advocating for the SAVE America Act, a proposed election overhaul that would not eliminate mail-in voting but has led him to suggest otherwise in public forums.

On Truth Social, he urged Republicans to avoid compromising with Democrats regarding the ongoing Department of Homeland Security shutdown unless it included provisions for voter ID laws and restrictions on mail-in voting.

During Thursday’s meeting, Trump clarified that his mail-in ballot fell under an “exception” category. “You know, we have exceptions for mail-in ballots? You do know that, right?” he asked rhetorically.

He listed various scenarios qualifying for mail-in voting exceptions: military service, business trips, disabilities, and illness. “So I was away mostly in Washington, D.C., so I used a mail-in ballot,” he concluded.

White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales dismissed the controversy surrounding Trump’s mail ballot as a “non-story,” emphasizing that the SAVE America Act includes reasonable exceptions for using mail-in ballots while maintaining that universal mail-in voting is prone to fraud.

In the special election held on Tuesday, Democrat Emily Gregory successfully flipped the state House district from Republican to Democratic by defeating Trump-endorsed candidate Jon Maples.