Trump Tells GOP to “Fight Hard” After California Orders Republicans to Stop Using Illegal Ballot Collection Containers

President Donald Trump encouraged Republicans to “fight hard” after California’s attorney general and chief elections officer order GOP officials to stop using private ballot collection containers that had been marked as “official” dropboxes to collect ballots.

“They have been taking advantage of the system for years!” the president alleged.

California Secretary of State Alex Padilla and Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who are both Democrats, have warned Republican campaign officials that they will be prosecuted if the containers are not removed by Thursday. Trump has signaled his support for the GOP’s dropboxes––even though they are not an official apparatus––as much of the country moves to mail-in voting as a result of the pandemic.

To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.

Yesterday Trump claimed, with no evidence, that California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) will make sure Democrats win the state in the upcoming general election thanks to “a pure Sleepy Joe Democrat firm to count and ‘harvest’ votes.” The same day, he asserted that “only Democrats are allowed” to harvest votes as Newsom accused California Republicans of being “willing to lie, cheat and threaten our democracy all for the sake of gaining power.”

Alan Herrera

Alan is a writer, editor, and news junkie based in New York.