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President Trump on Tuesday night defended electoral college after Democratic calls for reform intensified this week, saying popular vote campaigns were much easier.
What he's saying: "The brilliance of the Electoral College is that you must go to many States to win," Trump said in a tweet. "With the Popular Vote, you go to just the large States - the Cities would end up running the Country. Smaller States & the entire Midwest would end up losing all power — & we can’t let that happen. "
Between the lines: Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton won the popular vote in 2016, but Trump became president after winning 304 electoral votes to Clinton's 227. In a 2012 tweet, Trump called electoral college a "disaster for a democracy." On Tuesday, he said he now realized electoral college is "far better for the U.S.A."
The big picture: Washington, D.C., and 12 states now want to overhaul the electoral college system.
- Last month, before launching his 2020 Democratic campaign, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttegieg, said electoral college "needs to go."
- On Monday, 2020 candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) backed replacing the system with a national popular vote. Her 2020 Democratic rival, Beto O'Rourke said the same day there's "a lot of wisdom" in getting rid of the system.