Donald Trump is peddling more lies about voting systems as the midterm elections loom, claiming the U.S. is the only country in the world that allows mail-in voting—despite dozens of other nations also doing so.
Amid GOP fears about a potential Democratic “blue wave” in November, Trump has intensified his push to change electoral laws, including by outlawing the practice of voting by mail.
Former President Donald Trump addresses reporters after he and former First Lady Melania Trump voted at the 2024 election.
Phelan M. Ebenhack for The Washington Post via Getty ImagesDespite using the system to vote in a recent election in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump told reporters on Air Force One that the process was “inherently dishonest.”
“We’re the only country in the world that has mail-in ballots,” he said.
But in reality, postal voting is widely used across the world, with experts and election groups consistently finding such systems secure and effective at increasing access to voting.
According to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Access, 32 countries offer mail-in voting in various forms.
Among them are U.S. allies such as Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia, which all provide voters with mail-in or absentee ballot options, while nations such as Switzerland conduct most of their elections by post.
Trump’s attack on the system marks a sharp shift from the 2024 campaign, when he and the Republican National Committee, then co-chaired by his daughter-in-law Lara Trump, actively encouraged supporters to embrace early and absentee voting.
Facing a disadvantage among voters who cast ballots before Election Day, Republicans rolled out “bank your vote” initiatives and ballot-chasing operations to boost turnout through mail voting.
“Republicans must win and we will use every appropriate tool to beat the Democrats because they are destroying our country,” Trump said at the time.
“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.”
Now, as he seeks to reshape election rules ahead of the midterms, Trump has returned to a more hardline stance—reviving false claims about widespread fraud and portraying the United States as an outlier globally.
“Mail-in ballots have to be stopped, with exceptions for the military, for sick people, people that are sick, people disabled, (and) for people that are traveling, if you’re traveling, you can vote. But other than that, mail-in ballots are inherently dishonest.
Just days ago, the president even cast his own ballot by mail in a special election in Palm Beach, Florida—despite having spent time in the state while early in-person voting was available.
That race, in a Republican-leaning district, was ultimately won by Democrat Emily Gregory, who later accused Trump and the GOP of using “scare” tactics to question the integrity of elections.
“The erosion of trust in our election systems is all manipulation by those who want to stay in power,” she told the Daily Beast.
Since January 2025, Democrats have flipped 30 state legislative seats from red to blue across the country, whereas Republicans, by contrast, have not flipped a single seat in that time.
This had sparked concerns within MAGAworld, with some of Trump’s longstanding allies suggesting that Republicans are doomed at the midterm elections in November.
“Republicans are going to lose the midterms,” former Proud Boy Enrique Tarrio told the Daily Beast last week, declaring there was “zero chance” the GOP would retain control of Congress.
Conservative commentator Michael Knowles also told the MAGA faithful during the Conservative Political Action Conference last week: “We’re heading into very dangerous midterms, a very dangerous presidential election.”
“The left literally wants to kill us, and they’ve expressed this time and time again for months. Conservatives: we’ve got to get on the program, unify, keep our eyes on the prize and win.”
