Trump takes Putin’s word, moves to ban postal ballots; he and Melania voted by mail in 2020 primaries

Trump’s decision to eliminate mail-in voting was influenced by a surprising source: Russian President Vladimir Putin.

According to an Los Angeles Times report, following their meeting in Alaska last week, Trump revealed that Putin had urged him to crack down on postal ballots — a suggestion the US president has now vowed to act on.

In a Truth Social post on Monday, Trump declared he would “lead a movement to get rid of MAIL-IN BALLOTS,” expanding his longstanding campaign against voting methods he claims— without evidence — are vulnerable to fraud.

He also took aim at voting technology, calling machines “Highly ‘Inaccurate,’ Very Expensive, and Seriously Controversial.”

The move comes despite the fact that both Trump and former First Lady Melania Trump voted by mail in the 2020 primaries.

Back in March, Trump signed an executive order directing the Justice Department to prevent mail-in ballots received after election day from being counted. The order also sought to impose a proof-of-citizenship requirement for voter registration — an action critics argue could suppress lawful voters and face immediate legal challenges, added the report.

While courts have blocked parts of the executive order over constitutional concerns, one provision has been allowed to move forward. That section directs the independent US Election Assistance Commission to revise its guidance on voting machines, specifically banning the use of certain barcodes and QR (quick-response) codes.

The US Constitution states that the timing, place and manner of elections “shall be prescribed in each state” by local legislatures, and that Congress has the ability to pass laws altering state election regulations. The president is given no authority to prescribe or govern election procedures.

Nevertheless, Trump wrote Monday that states “are merely an ‘agent’ for the Federal Government in counting and tabulating the votes.

“They must do what the Federal Government, as represented by the President of the United States, tells them, FOR THE GOOD OF OUR COUNTRY, to do,” he wrote.

Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read was among the first to respond, accusing Trump of undermining American democracy.

“Trump is actively working to corrupt our elections,” Read said in a statement.

“If he actually understood or cared about the American people, he’d know mail-in voting is the best way to protect everyone’s right to vote, especially rural folks, elderly people, and hourly workers. Mail-in voting meets citizens exactly where they are: in their living rooms and around their kitchen tables,” Read added.

Trump’s latest move follows a meeting with Putin in Anchorage, where, according to Trump, the Russian leader told him mail-in ballots were the reason for his 2020 defeat.

“Vladimir Putin said something — one of the most interesting things. He said, ‘Your election was rigged because you have mail-in voting,’” Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity.

The US intelligence community, however, has consistently found that Putin attempted to influence multiple US elections in Trump’s favour — not against him.

Despite courts, election officials, and independent investigations finding no widespread fraud in the 2020 election, Trump continues to claim it was stolen.

On Monday, he reiterated his stance on social media, writing that voting machines “cost Ten Times more than accurate and sophisticated Watermark Paper,” and added, “Democrats are virtually Unelectable without using this completely disproven Mail-In SCAM.”

“I, AND THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, WILL FIGHT LIKE HELL TO BRING HONESTY AND INTEGRITY BACK TO OUR ELECTIONS,” Trump declared. “THE MAIL-IN BALLOT HOAX, USING VOTING MACHINES THAT ARE A COMPLETE AND TOTAL DISASTER, MUST END, NOW!!!”

Trump also said he intends to take further executive action on voting before the 2026 midterm elections, though he gave no specifics.

During an Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump told reporters that his legal team was drafting a new executive order. “It’s time that the Republicans get tough and stop it,” he said.

“Mail-in ballots are corrupt. You can never have a real democracy with mail-in ballots,” Trump said. “And we as a Republican Party are going to do everything possible to end mail-in ballots. They’re corrupt.”

The president’s remarks come in contrast to his own campaign’s position ahead of the 2024 election, when it encouraged Republicans — including voters affected by Hurricane Helene in North Carolina — to vote by mail.

“Absentee voting, early voting and election day voting are all good options,” Trump said at the time. “Republicans must make a plan, register and vote!”

Trump’s continued attacks on mail-in voting — now bolstered by the endorsement of a foreign autocrat — have drawn criticism from election officials and democracy advocates, who warn that such rhetoric risks further eroding public trust in US elections.

With inputs from agencies

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