Jun 19, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Trump says mail-in voting poses "biggest risk" to his re-election

Rashaan Ayesh

President Trump speaking into a microphone during a roundtable discussion — Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

President Trump told Politico in an Oval Office interview published Friday that mail-in voting poses the "biggest risk" to his re-election prospects —all as the Republican Party funnels millions of dollars into lawsuits meant to limit the process.

Why it matters: Trump has repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that mail-in voting leads to voter fraud.

Twitter's first fact-check on his tweets was over his unsubstantiated claims on the topic.
He also threatened to withhold funding from states that expand mail-in voting options in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
Worth noting: A special House election in California was held primarily by mail last month — and was the first time a Republican flipped a Democratic seat in the state since 1998.

What he's saying: "My biggest risk is that we don’t win lawsuits. We have many lawsuits going all over. And if we don't win those lawsuits, I think — I think it puts the election at risk," Trump told Politico regarding the mail-in battle.

He also said that Hillary Clinton was "obviously smarter" than Joe Biden. "I can tell you a lot about Hillary. ... She had a lot of energy and she was smart," he added.

Go deeper: FEC commissioner refutes Trump's voter fraud claims

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Trump says mail-in voting poses "biggest risk" to his re-election

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