The former president cast his vote at a polling station in Florida, which was set up at a recreation center, and addressed the media afterward. Donald J. Trump voted for himself in Palm Beach on Tuesday and suggested that this might be his final campaign, regardless of the outcome.
Accompanied by his wife, Melania, Mr. Trump arrived from his private club and residence, Mar-a-Lago. When reporters asked whether he would concede if he lost, he responded, “If I lose an election, if it’s a fair election, I’m going to be the first one to acknowledge it, and I think it’s — well, so far, I think it’s been fair.”
However, he expressed concerns about voting machines and the time it takes to count ballots—issues that have been central to his baseless claims about a stolen 2020 election. He did not specify what conditions would make him consider an election fair, despite previously telling his supporters that he believed the Democrats could only win by cheating.
Though Mr. Trump has sometimes criticized his campaign advisers in public, he expressed confidence in his team’s performance, adding, “But in order to make that stick, you have to win.” He also emphasized that there should be no violence following the election, despite having made violent statements during the campaign and pledging retribution against his adversaries.
“My supporters are not violent people,” he said, not acknowledging the actions of the mob of his supporters who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, in protest of his election loss. “I don’t have to tell them that.”
Mr. Trump said he was “very honored” by the long voter lines and, when asked whether he believed this would be his last campaign, he replied, “Yeah, I would think so.”
He declined to answer a question about how he voted on a Florida ballot measure concerning abortion rights. Polling shows that reproductive rights are a significant issue for female voters, a group with whom Trump is struggling. When a female reporter pressed him on the issue, he dismissed her question, saying, “Stop talking about that.”
The atmosphere at the recreation center-turned-polling station was chaotic when the Trumps arrived, with helicopters circling overhead and Trump supporters sporting T-shirts featuring his mugshot. One man, aided by a cane, appeared frustrated by the scene while being helped into a white Rolls-Royce. Behind them, a battered PT Cruiser covered in Trump stickers slowed to a stop, and a bearded man excitedly stuck his head out the window.
As they left, Melania Trump was asked whether she had voted for her husband. She smiled and chuckled without giving a direct answer.
