Key takeaways:
- Donald Trump reversed his stance on early and mail-in voting, calling for Republicans to “swamp the left” with these voting methods.
- Trump also addressed Republicans who have favored cuts to entitlement programs, such as Social Security and Medicare.
- His speech was met with cheers from the audience of devoted fans, and it remains to be seen whether his call will be heeded.
Former President Donald Trump made a dramatic reversal on Saturday, calling for Republicans to change their thinking on early and mail-in voting after GOP losses in 2020 and 2022. In a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Trump said Republicans must “swamp the left with mail-in votes, early votes and Election Day votes” in order to beat Democrats at their own game.
Trump also addressed Republicans who have favored cuts to entitlement programs in the past, such as Social Security and Medicare. “We’re not going back to people that want to destroy our great Social Security system,” he said. He added coyly, “I wonder who that might be.”
This is a stark contrast to Trump’s previous stance on early and mail-in voting, which he had long argued was rife with fraud. His false claims about the integrity of these voting methods had handed Democrats a massive advantage in the 2020 election, which President Joe Biden won.
The former president’s comments come after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently made headlines for retreating from past votes and comments in favor of raising the retirement age and privatizing Social Security and Medicare. Trump’s speech was met with cheers from the audience of devoted fans.
It remains to be seen whether Trump’s call for Republicans to change their thinking on early and mail-in voting will be heeded. However, it is clear that the former president is determined to ensure that the GOP does not repeat the same mistakes in future elections.
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