After Attacking Mail-in Voting for Years, Trump Now Supports Drop Boxes
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Thursday, Feb. 2, former President Donald Trump, who has a long history of disparaging mail-in voting and spreading conspiracy theories about the commonsense voting tool, came out in favor of drop boxes, secure receptacles used to conveniently return mail-in ballots. In a post on TruthSocial, Trump endorsed a plan to place drop boxes at churches, writing: “BEST IDEA I’VE HEARD IN A LONG TIME…PUT THEM ALL OVER THE PLACE. RNC, EVERY REPUBLICAN, GET TO WORK ON THIS NOW!!!” But just a few months ago, he referred to the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s decision to ban drop boxes in the state as “amazing” and said on Truth Social that “YOU CAN NEVER HAVE FREE & FAIR ELECTIONS WITH MAIL-IN BALLOTS.”
Trump’s about-face comes two months after Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel endorsed mail-in voting in an interview with Fox News. However, it remains to be seen if Trump or McDaniel will remain committed to this change of heart and be able to sway their fellow Republicans at the state level who continue to push policies restricting mail-in voting and drop boxes. In January, Ohio Republicans enacted new restrictions on drop boxes, limiting drop boxes to just one in each county. In Arizona, Republicans continue to seek to end mail-in voting entirely, either through legislation or through the court system.