Trump encourages mail-in voting despite past fraud claims

Key facts

• President Donald Trump encouraged supporters to vote by mail on Monday.
• Trump has previously claimed mail-in voting is rife with fraud.
• Trump stated voters could choose mail-in or in-person voting for the November 3 midterm elections.
• A campaign video over the weekend encouraged Republicans to vote.
• The Supreme Court declined to allow new Postal Service rules for mail-in voting.
• Trump's approval rating was 32% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed Monday.

President Donald Trump encouraged his supporters to vote by mail on Monday, marking a shift in his public messaging on the practice. For years, Trump has described mail-in voting as prone to fraud. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump stated that voters could choose mail-in or in-person voting for the upcoming November 3 midterm elections.

His comments followed a campaign video posted over the weekend that encouraged Republicans to vote. The Trump administration had previously attempted to implement stricter rules for mail-in voting ahead of the midterms, but the Supreme Court declined to permit the Postal Service to enforce them in September.

Some Republican strategists have expressed concern that discouraging mail-in voting could decrease turnout among conservative rural voters, a key demographic for Trump. Republicans are facing a challenging political environment in the final weeks of the campaign. A Reuters/Ipsos poll concluded on Monday showed Trump's approval rating at 32%, matching its September low. The poll also indicated that registered voters favored Democrats over Republicans by 44% to 37% for the midterms, with independents leaning towards Democrats 37% to 21% and 28% undecided.