Donald Trump has claimed without evidence that Democrats are cheating in California's primaries, alleging in a late-night social media post that the US attorney's office in Los Angeles is investigating. The president's unfounded remarks are likely to alarm election observers, who have warned of escalating misinformation as counting continues in the most populous US state.
In posts on his Truth Social platform early Thursday, Trump wrote: 'The Dumocrats are at it again! They are trying to STEAL THE GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA PRIMARY, AND THE MAYOR OF LOS ANGELES, PRIMARY, AWAY FROM TWO GREAT REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES.' He added: 'There's BIG cheating by the Dumocrats in California. Votes are all tied up. May not be in for weeks. Under investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles.'
The US attorney's office declined to comment, and the Department of Justice did not respond to a request for comment. Trump presented no substantive basis for his allegations, which echo his history of undermining election results, including his false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.
California uses a 'jungle' primary where the top two vote-getters advance regardless of party. Mail-in ballots, which typically account for about 80% of votes, can be counted up to a week after election day if postmarked by then. With Democrats outnumbering Republicans nearly two to one in voter registration, mail-in ballots tend to favour Democrats. The race for governor remains too close to call, with Republican Steve Hilton, endorsed by Trump, in a tight contest with Democrats Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer.
California Governor Gavin Newsom's press office responded on X: 'Trump is lying about California again – time to take the phone away from grandpa and put him to sleep.' Newsom had previously warned that prolonged vote counts invite disingenuous accusations of misconduct. Election observers echoed concerns, with the Democracy Defense Project stating that 'prolonged delays in ballot tabulation... can undermine public trust and create unnecessary uncertainty around election outcomes.'
