President Donald Trump has accused the Democratic Party of manipulating California’s elections as vote counting continues days after the polls closed.
California often takes longer than many other states to finalize results, but Trump suggested the slow count was evidence of wrongdoing and claimed Democrats were “rigging” the process.
“So what’s happening in California? They’re rigging the election now,” the president said on Thursday (4 June) in the Oval Office. “Maybe we caught them and maybe they won’t be able to get away with it.”
The claims — for which no evidence was presented — were rejected by Democrats. Trump nevertheless continued to post accusations online.
He 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.
“Here we go with the very late and massive numbers of MAIL IN BALLOTS.”
Even without substantiation for the fraud allegations, Trump kept targeting Democrats in additional posts.
In another message shared on Truth Social on Thursday (4 June), he claimed, ““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. Why the vote counting DELAY???”
State officials have long said California’s timeline is driven by scale: the state has roughly 23 million registered voters, and most ballots are cast by mail.
Mail-in ballots can be counted as long as they are postmarked by election day and arrive at county election offices by 9 June.
On top of that, California’s ballot signature-checking and verification steps can stretch the process out, sometimes taking up to three weeks—making delays more common there than in many other states.
Trump’s comments come as later-counted mail ballots—often breaking toward Democrats—have begun to tighten margins in several major contests, including the Los Angeles mayoral race, affecting candidates supported by Trump and the Republican Party.
The Democratic field has included several prominent names, such as billionaire climate activist Tom Steyer, former cabinet secretary Xavier Becerra, and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan.
Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, is not seeking another term because of term limits.
On the Republican side, Steve Hilton — a former Fox News host and a onetime adviser to former UK Prime Minister David Cameron — is positioned as the leading candidate for governor and has received Trump’s endorsement.
Reality TV personality Spencer Pratt, known for appearing on The Hills, is running in the Los Angeles mayoral contest. While the race is officially nonpartisan, he has also been backed by the president.