Trump casts ballot during early voting for Florida primary

Former President Trump on Wednesday cast his ballot in the Florida primary as part of the early-voting window, even as he has pushed for one-day voting as part of his reelection bid and cast doubt on the reliability of early voting.

Trump delivered brief remarks to cameras as he cast his ballot in Palm Beach, where he was asked about his recent false claims that Vice President Harris’s rally crowd in Michigan was generated by artificial intelligence.

“I can’t say what was there, who was there,” Trump said.

“We have a level of enthusiasm that nobody’s seen before. They want to make America great again. That’s what’s happening. We’re going to make it great again. Right now we’re in a failing nation,” he added.

The Florida primary elections for state and federal elections will take place on Aug. 20. The early-voting period lasts from Aug. 10 through Aug. 17.

The state will have a measure on the ballot in November that would prohibit laws from restricting or banning abortion until fetal viability. Trump has not said how he plans to vote on the measure.

Trump has repeatedly questioned the reliability of mail-in ballots and early voting dating back to the 2020 election, when he was defeated by President Biden. Trump has falsely claimed that election was fraudulent and rigged against him, despite numerous recounts and audits that have affirmed the results.

“I will secure our elections. Our goal will be one-day voting with paper ballots, proof of citizenship and voter ID,” he said at a recent campaign rally in Atlanta, a message he often repeats during such events.

Democrats traditionally vote more by mail and through early voting, while Republican voters tend to vote in greater numbers on Election Day.

The Republican National Committee (RNC) and GOP officials have for years sought to get their supporters to embrace early voting through “bank the vote” programs and other outreach efforts.

At last month’s GOP convention, a video message of Trump encouraging supporters to cast their ballot by whatever method they chose played each night in the arena.

“Whether you vote early, absentee, by mail or in person, we’re going to protect the vote. That’s the most important thing we have to do,” he said in a recorded message.

Updated at 3:42 p.m.