Donald Trump's Jimmy Carter Comment Trashed by Former Colleague

Newsweek

a day ago

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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A former colleague of Jimmy Carter has hit back after President Donald Trump misrepresented the former Democratic president's view on mail-in voting.
On Monday, during an Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump railed against the use of mail-in ballots, saying it was "a fraud," and brought up a 2005 commission into election reform co-chaired by Carter and former Republican Secretary of State James Baker.
"If you have mail-in, even Jimmy Carter with his commission, they set it up. He said, 'The one thing about mail-in voting, you will never have an honest election if you have mail-in,'" Trump told reporters as Zelensky watched on.
Now, John Williams, an adviser to Baker, has told Newsweek that "such a notion goes against President Carter's thoughts about mail-in voting."
President Donald Trump meets with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office at the White House, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025, in Washington.
President Donald Trump meets with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office at the White House, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025, in Washington.
AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson
Why It Matters
Trump's comments come as he and his party face a challenging road to the 2026 midterms. Though Republicans control the White House and both chambers of Congress, recent polling shows the GOP is struggling with voter dissatisfaction.
By reviving attacks on mail-in voting, Trump appears to be laying the groundwork to question the legitimacy of potential losses ahead of what could be a damaging cycle for Republicans.
What To Know
Williams worked on the Commission on Federal Election Reform 20 years ago alongside Baker and Carter, and continues to study election administration in collaboration with the Carter Center.
The commission did raise concerns about absentee voting and ballot security. However, the final report explicitly stopped short of condemning vote-by-mail as inherently fraudulent, instead calling for additional research into its effectiveness.
"The Commission's only recommendation regarding vote by mail was to encourage 'further research on the pros and cons' of that method of voting," Williams said.
"I have never seen any evidence which would indicate that President Trump accurately quoted President Carter," he said.
Newsweek could find no evidence that Carter said words to that effect, either, and previous misquotes about mail-in voting attributed to the Nobel Peace Prize winner by Trump have been debunked.
Former President Jimmy Carter (L) and former Secretary of State James Baker III, co-chairs of the Commission on Federal Election Reform, confer during a hearing at American University April 18, 2005, in Washington, D.C.
Former President Jimmy Carter (L) and former Secretary of State James Baker III, co-chairs of the Commission on Federal Election Reform, confer during a hearing at American University April 18, 2005, in Washington, D.C.In fact, Carter himself encouraged absentee voting during the 2020 election cycle. "I approve the use of absentee ballots and have used them for five years," Carter said in a statement that year. And earlier that year, he said, "I urge political leaders across the country to take immediate steps to expand vote-by-mail and other measures that can help protect the core of American democracy – the right of our citizens to vote."
Newsweek emailed the Carter Center for comment. Baker, who was secretary of state under President George H. W. Bush, was not available for comment.
Mail-in voting is widely used across the U.S. and consistently shown to be safe and reliable. Twenty-eight states allow all voters to cast ballots by mail, while every state offers some form of mail-in or absentee voting.
In eight states—California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, and Washington—elections are conducted almost entirely by mail, with no major reported issues. Mail systems incorporate multiple security checks, including signature verification, barcode tracking, and ballot curing processes, making coordinated fraud rare and preserving both access and integrity.
Former President Jimmy Carter (L) and former Secretary of State James Baker III, co-chairs of the Commission on Federal Election Reform, participate in a hearing at American University April 18, 2005, in Washington, D.C.
Former President Jimmy Carter (L) and former Secretary of State James Baker III, co-chairs of the Commission on Federal Election Reform, participate in a hearing at American University April 18, 2005, in Washington, D.C.What People Are Saying
Former Secretary of State James Baker, in an email to Politifact in 2021, said of mail-in voting: "I continue to believe such balloting remains a significant source of potential fraud, absent safeguards some states have put in place to help guarantee that a person's vote is secure."
Richard Briffault, a professor at Columbia Law School, previously told Newsweek: "Any changes would have to be made by Congress. And even Congress can't change how states run state elections."
What Happens Next
Trump said lawyers were drafting an executive order that would end mail-in voting, but any attempt to eliminate mail-in voting would face significant legal hurdles. States have constitutional authority over election procedures, meaning a presidential directive cannot unilaterally overturn existing laws.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday: "When Congress comes back to Washington, I'm sure there will be many discussions with our friends on Capitol Hill and also our friends in state legislatures to ensure that we're protecting the integrity of the vote."