Trump advocates for mail-in and advance voting, even though he historically opposes them

President Donald Trump said Americans should vote using “all the appropriate tools,” in a pre-recorded video imploring Republicans to vote in the midterm elections, including using methods he has historically opposed like early and mail-in voting.

“If your state has early voting, don’t wait. Get out and vote,” Trump said in the video posted Saturday morning to his Truth Social account. “Vote early, vote by mail or vote in person on Election Day. »

Trump’s message is notable because he has criticized mail-in voting for years and has pushed to limit it since the start of his second term, although many of those efforts have been blocked by the courts.

This comes as Trump’s mid-term strategy has relied heavily on flipping his base, and less on persuading undecided voters to support Republican candidates.

“It’s all about turnout,” a GOP campaign official told CNN last month. “From day one, the president’s campaign committees and political operations have shared data to ensure we are selecting exactly the people we need.”

The Supreme Court last month rejected sweeping restrictions that would have changed how mail-in ballots are sent to voters ahead of the midterm elections. The move came after state election officials warned they did not have enough time to implement provisions stemming from an executive order issued in March by the president.

Trump posted a lengthy reaction on social media in response to the decision, calling the country’s mail-in voting system a “disaster” that is the laughing stock of the world, and in which we are the only country that has to endure such a nation-destroying scam. »

The president has also aggressively pushed Congress to pass restrictions on mail-in voting through the “SAVE America Act,” a federal elections overhaul bill that has met bipartisan opposition in the Senate.

Despite falsely claiming that mail-in voting resulted in significant fraud, Trump continued to vote by mail himself, including in the Florida state special election in March.

This is not the first time the president has contradicted his own comments on voting methods in the run-up to an election. In 2024, the Trump campaign launched “Swamp The Vote USA” to promote mail-in, mail-in and early voting. He discussed the program in his video message on Saturday.

CNN has reached out to the White House for comment on the video and whether it marks a change in the president’s views on early and mail-in voting.

One month before the midterm elections, more than a million ballots have already been cast. In several states with key Senate or gubernatorial elections this fall, Democrats account for a larger share of voters requesting ballots so far than at this point in 2024.

In several states with key Senate or gubernatorial elections this fall, Democrats account for a larger share of voters requesting ballots so far than at this point in 2024.

In recent years, Democrats have been much more likely to vote before Election Day.

CNN’s Kristen Holmes and Alayna Treene contributed to this report.