Kayleigh McEnany Confronted on Trump Pronouncing Florida Mail-In Voting ‘Safe and Secure’: ‘Will He Admit Now’ It’s Not Fraudulent?
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany was grilled over Donald Trump’s proclamation that mail-in voting for Florida is “safe and secure.” This comes after Trump has repeatedly disparaged the vote by mail process.
Shortly before McEnany commenced her briefing, the president sent out a tweet endorsing mail in votes for Florida:
“Whether you call it Vote by Mail or Absentee Voting, in Florida the election system is Safe and Secure, Tried and True,” Trump said. “Florida’s Voting system has been cleaned up (we defeated Democrats attempts at change), so in Florida I encourage all to request a Ballot & Vote by Mail!”
Whether you call it Vote by Mail or Absentee Voting, in Florida the election system is Safe and Secure, Tried and True. Florida’s Voting system has been cleaned up (we defeated Democrats attempts at change), so in Florida I encourage all to request a Ballot & Vote by Mail! #MAGA
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 4, 2020
This comes after Trump spent days advancing his evidence-free claim there is widespread corruption connected to mail-in voting, and floated delaying the 2020 election because of the imminent “disaster.” This, in turn, has raised questions about whether Trump’s claims will reduce the GOP’s 2020 election turnout among those considering the use of mail-in votes in order to avoid public spaces during the coronavirus pandemic.
NBC’s Geoff Bennett invoked Trump’s tweet during McEnany’s press briefing, and he asked her to explain the about-face.
What in his view changed? Was he advised by Republicans that he was potentially suppressing his own vote by stoking unfounded fears about mail-in voting? Will he admit now, which is the fact that, voting across the country by mail is safe and secure and tried and true?
McEnany responded that Trump was differentiating between absentee voting and mail-in voting, to which, Bennett countered “it’s the same thing.” As the press secretary continued to bash Nevada’s universal mail-in voting plan, Bennett continued to note “fraud in the mail system is extraordinarily rare.”
“The president votes by mail, you vote by mail, a dozen other other Trump administration officials vote by mail,” Bennett continued.
McEnany claimed there was “ample evidence of fraud,” and she doubled down on Trump’s dubious claim that New Jersey recently had a prime example of electoral corruption.
Watch above, via Fox News.
