WASHINGTON () President Donald Trump said Monday mail-in ballots are “corrupt,” hours after pledging to sign an executive order to eliminate them and “seriously controversial” voting machines ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

“You can never have a real democracy with mail-in ballots,” Trump said from the Oval Office. “And we, as the Republican Party, are going to do everything possible to get rid of mail-in ballots. We’re going to start with an executive order that’s being written right now by the best lawyers in the country to end mail-in ballots because they’re corrupt.”

Trump has for years pushed unproven claims about widespread voter fraud involving mail-in ballots. He repeatedly described his 2020 election defeat as “rigged,” pointing to expanded mail-in balloting that was allowed during the coronavirus pandemic.

Nearly a third of ballots cast in the 2024 election were submitted by mail, according to a U.S. Election Assistance Commission report released in June. While mail-in ballots didn’t hit the record 43% level seen during the height of the pandemic, they accounted for 30.3% of all ballots cast in the election, well above pre-pandemic levels.