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After a months-long campaign to promote distrust of voting by mail, President Donald Trump on Wednesday called on his supporters in North Carolina to vote twice as a way to test the system.
The President said that if mail-in voting protocol is as secure as people say, none of them would be able to vote in person.
Watch below.
Trump is encouraging people to vote twice?
pic.twitter.com/Xsr8MLcXxv
— T-Rox (@Whateva691) September 3, 2020
Trump said:
"Let them send [the absentee ballot] in and let them go vote, and if their system's as good as they say it is, then obviously they won't be able to vote. If it isn't tabulated, they'll be able to vote."
He repeated the suggestion while addressing supporters.
Trump suggests his supporters should commit electoral fraud by trying to vote twice pic.twitter.com/vRq0QuZJ57
— The Independent (@Independent) September 3, 2020
Now, a resurfaced clip from an interview between the President and Chris Wallace of Fox News earlier this year has resurfaced, presenting a contradiction of the President's most recent statements.
Watch below.
Master of projection. While there may not always be a tweet, there usually is a Fox interview.
Trump in May: "The level of dishonesty with Democrat voting is unbelievable. If you told a Republican to vote twice, they'd get sick at even the thought of it." pic.twitter.com/Uz9pnHxTvK
— Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) September 3, 2020
The President said:
"The level of dishonesty with Democrat voting is unbelievable. If you told a Republican to vote twice, they'd get sick at even the thought of it. And you have people that vote numerous times. What's happening is crazy."
There is no basis for the President's claims. In 2018, Trump's own commission on voter integrity disbanded after finding no evidence of widespread voter fraud.
The President attempted to backtrack on Twitter.
.....go to your Polling Place to see whether or not your Mail In Vote has been Tabulated (Counted). If it has you will not be able to Vote & the Mail In System worked properly. If it has not been Counted, VOTE (which is a citizen's right to do). If your Mail In Ballot arrives....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2020
....after you Vote, which it should not, that Ballot will not be used or counted in that your vote has already been cast & tabulated. YOU ARE NOW ASSURED THAT YOUR PRECIOUS VOTE HAS BEEN COUNTED, it hasn't been “lost, thrown out, or in any way destroyed". GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2020
Twitter soon flagged the tweets for violating its rules on misinformation regarding elections and other civic events.
The executive director of North Carolina's State Board of Elections, Karen Brinson Bell, urged voters not to attempt to confirm prior mail-in votes on Election Day
"The State Board office strongly discourages people from showing up at the polls on Election Day to check whether their absentee ballot was counted. This is not necessary, and it would lead to longer lines and the possibility of spreading [the virus]."
Trump's claim that Republicans would "get sick" at the thought of voting twice doesn't seem to be true either, because officials within his own administration won't condemn the act of voting multiple times.
Attorney General William Barr claimed to be unsure whether or not any states allowed citizens to vote multiple times in the same election.
Just watch Bill Barr - the top law enforcement official in the United States - pretend that he's not sure if it's illegal to vote twice.
Beyond shameless. Beyond.pic.twitter.com/vPeiF4ctwF
— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) September 2, 2020
And White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany pivoted when asked to disavow the act of voting twice.
Q: "Kayleigh, do you acknowledge that it is illegal in this country to vote twice in the same election?
McEnany: "Are you referring to the President's comments earlier today?"
Q: "I'm asking you a basic yes-or-no question."
KM: "The President does not condone unlawful voting." pic.twitter.com/3Sq8exP5wM
— The Hill (@thehill) September 3, 2020
Twitter was quick to point out the contradiction presented by Trump's answer to Wallace.
He just instructed voters to do exactly this. And btw? It's a felony. Voting twice is illegal. And it's illegal that he told you to. https://t.co/MjCUjGP4p8
— Sophia Bush (@SophiaBush) September 3, 2020
This means he knew he was breaking the law when he advised his supporters to vote twice. https://t.co/xwIi9lvqvY
— ((( Fredi-Fredàé ))) 😷Survive 📢Resist 🌊VoteBlue (@freddyatton) September 3, 2020
Don't know whether to laugh, roll my eyes, or shed a tear....pic.twitter.com/J1N9uq8awt
— Robert of the Holts ☘️🎬🌎 (@rhholt) September 3, 2020
I cannot wait for Nov. 3rd. https://t.co/jJarDYoTdr
— Chris Cappella (@C_Cappella) September 3, 2020
This is hysterical considering he just told his republican base to vote twice... https://t.co/FG5dT9z5J7
— Edward Ignis (@EdwardIgnis) September 3, 2020
I wish it mattered more to those who it should matter to. https://t.co/LHlyQZyugv
— Barstar (@Elynnbarstar) September 3, 2020
Others highlighted Trump's propensity for projection.
Hector Projector at it again.
Told his supporters to vote twice live on camera yesterday and in a tweet last night. https://t.co/AQO0jApTIM
— steven pasquale (@StevePasquale) September 3, 2020
If Trump is accusing someone of something, he has likely done it or thought it. pic.twitter.com/QDmfB3XCba
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) September 3, 2020
everything he says is either projection or confession, and usually both https://t.co/QC07tXwu9B
— Tzippy Shmilovitz 🤦♀️ (@Tzipshmil) September 3, 2020
As former Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) pointed out, it's a felony in North Carolina to "induce" someone to commit voter fraud.