Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) criticized Donald Trump on Monday after the president said in a social media post that he will “lead a movement” to get rid of mail-in ballots and voting machines.
Schumer slammed the attack on voting rights in a statement, saying Trump’s comments are “not based in fact or reality.”
“Two facts: Donald Trump lost the 2020 election and vote by mail is safe, secure, and reliable,” Schumer said. “Let’s be clear – this is not based in fact or reality, but it is yet another way for Trump to silence Americans from using their voice in the democratic process and implement Jim Crow laws across America.”
Schumer went on to declare that “Senate Democrats will make sure that any and every measure that would make it even more difficult for Americans to vote will be dead on arrival in the Senate and will continue to fight to protect our democracy.”
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Schumer doubled down on his disdain for Trump’s threats, writing, “I won’t stop fighting to protect democracy and protect voting rights,” alongside a screenshot of an ABC News story about Trump’s efforts to end mail-in ballots.
In a Truth Social post earlier Monday, Trump made a claim — without providing evidence — that mail-in ballots and voting machines lead to voter fraud.
“I am going to lead a movement to get rid of MAIL-IN BALLOTS, and also, while we’re at it, Highly ‘Inaccurate,’ Very Expensive, and Seriously Controversial VOTING MACHINES, which cost Ten Times more than accurate and sophisticated Watermark Paper, which is faster, and leaves NO DOUBT, at the end of the evening, as to who WON, and who LOST, the Election,” Trump wrote.
Trump has long complained about mail-in voting and pushed baseless conspiracies of voter fraud. He’s repeatedly made claims that the 2020 election won by former President Joe Biden was rigged or stolen. Trump’s claims have been widely debunked despite his continued bemoaning.
The POTUS went on to accuse Democrats of “cheat[ing] at levels never seen before.” He then declared that he will kick off his efforts by signing an executive order before the 2026 midterm elections.
Notably, the president does not have the legal authority to change voting laws as the Constitution gives states the power to set specific voter qualifications.
“Democrats are virtually Unelectable without using this completely disproven Mail-In SCAM. ELECTIONS CAN NEVER BE HONEST WITH MAIL IN BALLOTS/VOTING, and everybody, IN PARTICULAR THE DEMOCRATS, KNOWS THIS. I, AND THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, WILL FIGHT LIKE HELL TO BRING HONESTY AND INTEGRITY BACK TO OUR ELECTIONS,” Trump added in his post. “THE MAIL-IN BALLOT HOAX, USING VOTING MACHINES THAT ARE A COMPLETE AND TOTAL DISASTER, MUST END, NOW!!!”
Trump and Schumer previously clashed over the weekend after the latter accused Trump of “selling out” Ukraine following the president’s Alaska summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which ended without Trump announcing a ceasefire for the war in Ukraine.