Trump won’t vote early, though he said he would

By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON and JILL COLVIN The Associated Press

WEST PALM BEACH, Florida (AP) — Donald Trump is planning to cast his vote on Election Day despite having previously said he would vote early.

In a radio interview with Fox News host Brian Kilmeade that aired last week, Trump had said that he intended to early vote — something Kilmeade had suggested might serve as an example for his supporters. Trump and his campaign have been urging voters to cast their ballots early, even as the former president and GOP nominee continues to criticize the option and sow unfounded doubts about potential fraud.

“I’ll be voting early. I’ll be voting early,” Trump told the host.

But he won’t. Trump instead will be voting Tuesday morning near his estate in Palm Beach, Florida, according to a person familiar with his schedule who spoke on condition of anonymity before a formal announcement.

Trump’s declaration that he would vote early had come after Kilmeade had asked — on two separate occasions — whether Trump might do so to “kind of set an example.”

Trump has made clear his trepidations.

“I’m very mixed on it,” Trump responded the first time. “I say the main thing I say is vote.”

Kilmeade then re-asked the question as he ended the interview, telling Trump that he “could vote early and set an example if you wanted to in Florida. That would be an interesting decision.”

“Well, you know, it’s interesting. I really feel — I’m very mixed,” Trump said once again, pointing to “the old standard of the Tuesday vote” as well as those who like to vote before Election Day.

“You know, people have different feelings about it. But the main thing is you got to get out, you got to vote. And I’ll be voting early,” he said.

In the final weeks of the race, Trump has been urging his supporters to bank their votes, with large signs at his rallies spelling out: “VOTE EARLY!”

“I am telling everyone to vote early,” Trump said in a podcast interview with Dan Bongino, who has widely spread false information about early voting and the 2020 election.

But Trump often sows doubts about the process in the very same breath.

“We got to get out and vote. And you can start right away. You know that, right?” he told his supporters at a rally in Indiana, Pennsylvania in September. “Now, we have this stupid stuff where you can vote 45 days early. I wonder what the hell happens during that 45.”

He went on to describe a hypothetical situation in which ballots could be tampered with, even though allegations of similar issues in 2020 were widely disproven. “‘See these votes? We’ve got about a million votes in there. Let’s move them. We’re fixing the air conditioner in the room, right?’ No, it’s terrible,” he said urging his supporters to deliver him a victory “too big to rig.”

Still, Republicans appear to be heeding the early vote call.

Republicans have been flocking to the polls for in-person voting ahead of Election Day, with early turnout breaking records in swing states such as Georgia and North Carolina.

Trump is planning a flurry of events as the the election comes to a close, ramping up his schedule during the race’s final stretch.

He’ll hold four rallies Monday that will include stops in North Carolina and Pennsylvania, according to the person.

And in keeping with tradition from his first two campaigns, he will hold his finale rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Monday night.

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Colvin reported from New York.