By Marlyn Montilla
Sep 24, 2024, 11:36 AM EDT
Former President Donald Trump called on his supporters in Pennsylvania to vote as soon as possible after immediately lashing out at the early voting process and his loss to Democratic President Joe Biden in the state, reigniting false claims of voter fraud in 2020.
At a rally in Pennsylvania, the New York tycoon said he was “here today because early voting begins in Pennsylvania in the next two weeks” before urging “each and every one” of his supporters to come out and exercise their right to vote, Forbes reported.
“Get out, make a plan to vote early, vote absentee or vote in person on Election Day,” Trump said.
But in contrast, he quickly moved on to attack Pennsylvania’s early voting procedure: “Now we have this stupidity of being able to vote 45 days early… I wonder what the hell happens during… [esos] 45 [días]”, he said.
The Republican candidate later addressed his unfounded claims about the 2020 presidential election, saying: “What happened last time was disgraceful, even here… But we’re not going to let it happen again.”
In his speech, Trump acknowledged the importance of winning the key state: “If we win Pennsylvania, we win everything… It’s very simple.”
The former president’s continued disdain for early voting has not discouraged his campaign and the Republican National Committee (NRC) from actively encouraging voters to cast ballots before Election Day, according to POLITICO.
Trump’s running mate JD Vance has been promoting early voting in his campaign appearances, as has RNC Chairman Michael Whatley, who has been traveling around the United States recruiting observers and poll workers as part of the party’s tour, saying: “Protect your vote.”
“We have three ways to vote now: early voting, voting by mail and voting on Election Day. And look, I’m a firm believer that we should have Election Day in this country and not election season, but we are where we are,” Vance said at a campaign event in North Carolina on Monday morning.
“So we have to take advantage of all these avenues to vote.”
The Trump campaign and the RNC launched a tool in late August to help voters in the key state request mail-in ballots, promising it would make the process “more secure than ever.”
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