'Flip flop don': Trump faces criticism for reversal on mail-in voting stance as he urges supporters to use method he previously opposed

WASHINGTON, DC: Former President Donald Trump is now encouraging his supporters to cast their votes in the national election using any of the methods, including mail-in ballot, despite his previous insistence on in-person voting, Mediaite reported.

The GOP presumptive nominee was a vocal critic of other ballot methods that did not require the voter to be present in person at the polling station on the day of the election.

For instance, during the 2020 election, he warned against absentee voting except in his home state, Florida, claiming the election system in the state was "safe and secure," according to CNN.

Trump takes an all-of-the-above strategy

The Former President reversed his age-old aversion towards mail-in ballots through a Truth Social announcement on Friday, April 19.

"ABSENTEE VOTING, EARLY VOTING, AND ELECTION DAY VOTING ARE ALL GOOD OPTIONS. REPUBLICANS MUST MAKE A PLAN, REGISTER, AND VOTE!" Trump stressed in full caps.

The GOP leadership also mirrored the White House hopeful's backtracking in light of their poor performances in elections held after the Covid pandemic.

The 2020 national elections were a blow to Trump and the Republicans. The Former President lost his second White House bid to President Joe Biden; meanwhile, the party lost the Senate and House control.

Similarly, the GOP failed to incite a red wave in the 2022 midterm elections, losing a Senate seat and barely grabbing control of the lower chamber. All these apparently forced the Republicans to urge voters to cast ballots using all the available means.

"We have to start encouraging Republican voters to do things like voting early, trust mail-in voting," the new RNC co-chair Lara Trump said, in an interview with NBC News in March. "These are ways that we actually can have a big lead as we head into Election Day. And these are things that traditionally Republicans have sort of shied away from."

However, in a separate statement, she mentioned that her father-in-law would put an end to mail-in ballots if he wins in November.

Following his 2020 defeat, Trump denounced the mail-in voting, which, according to him, led to Biden's victory. He falsely claimed the method was rigged in favor of his Democratic opponent. "The fraud and abuse will be an embarrassment to our Country," Trump wrote on X (then Twitter) in August 2020.

The Former President faces two federal indictments, one in Washington DC and the other in Georgia, over his alleged attempt to overturn the 2020 election results.

Internet mocks Trump

The Former President faced intense online trolling for promoting all voting methods, reversing his past complaints.

One user called the latest move a "Flip flop."

Another said, "Trump learned his lessons."

A user quipped, "Oh, that doesn't make it rigged anymore?" Meanwhile, a response read, "Don't be fooled, bricktop hates all this voting malarkey."

"Flip Flop Don!! You are the least credible person on this planet!!" another wrote.

An individual said, "But I thought it was all rigged???" Someone else wrote, "I thought your plan was to intimidate voters at the polling stations, is that not the plan now?"

"But..I thought Donald said that was corruption....." read another remark.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.