WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump took advantage of mail-in voting this week in a special election in Florida, even as he criticised mail-in ballots as “cheating” in his push for national legislation to enact new regulations on voting.

Trump voted by mail ballot in the Palm Beach County election held on Tuesday for a state senator and a state representative, according to county public records.

At an event in Memphis, Tennessee on Monday, Trump dismissed the option with unfounded allegations that mail-in voting is more susceptible to fraud.

“Mail-in voting means mail-in cheating. I call it mail-in cheating, and we got to do something about it all. And it’s part of Homeland Security,” Trump said at a roundtable on crime.

Trump said on Sunday his fellow Republicans should not reach an agreement on funding the Department of Homeland Security until Democrats in Congress approve a bill — the SAVE America Act — that requires people registering to vote to provide proof of US citizenship.

Trump also pushed for Democratic approval of other items he wants added to the bill, including banning transgender women from women’s sports, outlawing “transgender mutilation of our children” and restricting mail-in ballots except in cases of illness, disability, military service or travel.

The White House clarified on Monday that Donald Trump is a resident of Palm Beach and participates in Florida elections but lives primarily at the White House.

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2026