President Donald Trump was up late again on Wednesday, posting multiple times after midnight. In one message, he railed against complaints about rising prices under his presidency, claiming — falsely — that prices are falling “across the board.”
Trump’s Claims on Prices
“TRUMP & THE REPUBLICANS WIN THE AFFORDABILITY WARS by record numbers!” he declared on Truth Social. In reality, many prices have risen during his administration. Early on, price increases were driven by tariffs. More recently, Trump’s war with Iran has led to a spike in oil, which in turn has driven up the cost of fuel as well as other essentials.
Focus on California Primaries
But the biggest thing on his mind appeared to be this week’s primary elections in California. Trump has for years falsely claimed that mail-in ballots lead to voter fraud and railed against the practice despite the fact that he’s frequently voted by mail himself. In recent years, more than 80% of California voters have voted by mail in both primaries and regular elections. While ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day, they can arrive up to a week after the election and still be counted.
Trump’s Late-Night Posts
Trump, however, sees that as a sign of fraud — and railed against it in two different Truth Social posts. At 12:48 a.m., he wrote: [Post content omitted]. Then, just after 1 a.m. on Thursday, he added: [Post content omitted].
Executive Order and Legislation
Trump earlier this year signed an executive order creating a national voter list and placing limits on mail-in ballots. A federal judge let the order stand, for now, since it hasn’t been implemented yet. However, the ruling allows for additional legal challenges. He has also been pushing Congress to pass a law that would crack down on mail-in ballots and place other restrictions on voting. However, that bill does not have the 60 votes needed to avert a filibuster in the Senate.
