CBS News
Trump, GOP urge early and mail voting while continuing to raise specter of voter fraud
Detroit — Four years after Detroit’s convention center was the center of conspiracy theories and unfounded allegations of voter fraud, thousands of Republicans were back in the building last weekend to prepare for November’s rematch between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. So-called election integrity efforts and disproven allegations of voter fraud were repeatedly invoked, this time to convince GOP voters to turn out in force in November.
Charlie Kirk, the influential leader of conservative grassroots organization Turning Point Action, took the stage to kick off his organization’s “The People’s Convention” in downtown Detroit last Friday and called the venue where he was speaking a “crime scene.” He recounted debunked claims that thousands of illegal mail-in and early ballots were delivered to and tabulated in secret, resulting in a stolen victory for President Biden.
A Michigan judge ruled that allegations of mass voter fraud at what was then called the TCF Center were “incorrect and not credible.”
Now, Kirk’s group, Turning Point Action, alongside the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley and Co-chair Lara Trump — are trying to convince GOP voters to embrace those same voting options — including in-person early voting, mail-in absentee voting and drop boxes.
Kirk’s group hopes to hire an army of a thousand organizers in battleground states to “chase the vote,” encouraging conservative voters to register and make plans to vote in November, but also to trust that however they cast their ballot, their vote will be counted accurately. Rebuilding that trust is easier said than done, he and Lara Trump, who is Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law, both admit.
“There’s a lot of hesitancy and skepticism, but it’s waning with some sort of people in the conservative movement, because they say, ‘Look, mail-in balloting is not secure,’ and I share some of those concerns,” Kirk said of Republican skepticism.
He pointed to Kari Lake’s loss of the Arizona governor’s race in 2022 as a moment where he realized that Republicans must embrace “Election Month,” as he put it, not just Election Day.
“It triggered a lot of introspection on our team. And I was like, why are we not embracing, you know, this sort of methodology, we might not love it, but losing feels a lot worse,” Kirk said. “I think that the movement is looking at it the same.”
“People are very smart; they have legitimate concerns,” he continued. “But we’re left with really a binary choice: we keep on doing what we’re doing, which is to try to squeeze, you know, 70 to 80 million votes in a 12-hour period, right? Or we broaden that, especially with low-[propensity] voters, which … our side absolutely needs, and do our best in a 30- to 35-day window.”
But whether that message lands with GOP voters after four years of being told that the 2020 election was rigged and stolen from Republicans remains to be seen. And the party still hasn’t entirely shelved its 2020 playbook.
While Turning Point’s conference was kicking off in Detroit, Whatley and Lara Trump were 45 minutes north, in Oakland County, Michigan, where they kicked off the RNC’s “Protect the Vote” tour, renewing the party’s emphasis on hiring poll workers, poll watchers, and election lawyers going into November in battleground states where the outcome is historically close.
As Whatley was addressing the crowd of a few hundred in the Oakland County GOP headquarters in Bloomfield Hills, one attendee spoke up and said that the 2020 election wasn’t stolen. Other attendees immediately booed and shouted him down with lines like “it was totally stolen!”
“What I will say is everybody in this room, including myself and [Lara Trump] is absolutely, fully committed to making sure that the 2024 election is going to be fair, accurate, secure, and transparent,” Whatley responded, as the crowd kept chiding the man.
Lara Trump and Whatley say they plan to be patient as they try to convince GOP voters to trust the integrity of elections again.
“I think it takes time. It takes time to earn trust back and we intend to do that,” Lara Trump told CBS News. Whatley is putting together a grassroots early-vote program to ensure Republicans make a plan to get their vote counted.
“Are you gonna vote on Election Day? Are you gonna vote early? Are you going to vote by mail? Make sure that you follow through and get that ballot in,” he said.
“The greatest fraud is when our people don’t vote,” Kirk said, in response to the same question. “So that’s where I’m emphasizing. Everyone has a role to play. And the greatest fraud is when our people stay at home.”
Early Saturday morning at “The People’s Convention,” Michigan Trump campaign and state GOP officials were pressed repeatedly by attendees on why they weren’t doing more to challenge electronic voting machines, another hot-button issue for election conspiracy theorists like Mike Lindell, who also spoke at the conference and shared those same concerns.
“We’ve got to get rid of the crime involved, and that involves getting rid of electronic voting machines,” Lindell told CBS News. Lindell has repeatedly embraced disproven and fraudulent theories about the 2020 and 2022 elections, but he told CBS he was “glad” Trump and the RNC have been telling voters the GOP needs to win by a margin so large it is “too big to rig.” It’s been a common refrain from the former president in recent months.
Ronald Singer, a Macomb County, Michigan, resident who attended the Saturday session, praised Trump for urging supporters to vote early early.
“That’s what he’s doing is trying to convince them [to trust elections] because for many, many years, you know, a lifetime, you’ve been taught that there’s such a thing as an Election Day, and that elections happen on Election Day.” Singer said. “Some funny stuff goes on now, where it seems like it takes not hours, but days or maybe longer. But what it’s going to take is some time to sort of turn people around.”
At a Trump rally in May in Freeland, Michigan, the Michigan GOP taped signs around the venue — including port-a-potties — and state party members signed up attendees to be campaign volunteers as they arrived at the event.
One volunteer who was trying to recruit other “protect the vote” volunteers said she was skeptical of this renewed push.
“I would never vote mail-in ever,” Flint resident Teri Cawood said, adding that even thoughTrump and his allies are promoting early and mail-in voting, she doesn’t trust it. “Maybe a little bit, if he’s saying it, but I don’t know,” Cawood hedged.
But when Trump headlined the Turning Point rally last Saturday, his message ran counter to the Republican efforts to encourage absentee voting. He warned the thousands in the audience to “watch your vote” because “they” — Democrats — would “destroy” and “terminate” their votes in November.
“I said to Charlie [Kirk] and I said to Michael [Whatley], I said, ‘Listen, we don’t need votes. We got more votes than anybody’s ever had. We need to watch the vote. We need to guard the vote. We need to stop the steal,'” Trump told the crowd. “You know these mail-in ballots are treacherous, they’re treacherous … These lock boxes are horrible, horrible, and we’ll change it, but we have to win the election in order to change it.”
Getty Images/iStockphoto
Inflation has been cooling and that’s a sign that the Federal Reserve could cut its federal funds rate soon. The Fed adjusts this benchmark rate in response to economic developments. And, many experts agree that a rate cut will happen at some point before the end of the year.
That’s important because changes to the federal funds rate are typically followed by changes to the interest rates financial institutions charge consumers for borrowing money and pay them for depositing it. If the Fed does cut its federal funds rate, you could earn less on deposits, but pay less on loans.
And, you should consider the prospect of a coming rate cut as you make financial decisions. We’ve outlined a few things you should do and a few you shouldn’t with a potential rate cut looming below.
Take advantage of today’s high CD rates here now.
3 things to do (and 3 things to avoid) before interest rates are cut
With a potential rate cut ahead, there are a few financial moves you should make now:
Open a CD
With rates expected to fall ahead, using a certificate of deposit (CD) to lock in today’s high returns may be an advantageous move. These are fixed-rate deposit accounts that guarantee the rate you lock in for the entire term.
Of course, you typically have to guarantee that you’ll keep the money in its account for the entire term, too. You may be penalized if you access your money before the account matures. Nonetheless, CDs give you a compelling way to lock in today’s high rates for anywhere from a few months to several years. And, that’s valuable with a potential rate cut looming.
Don’t wait for rates to fall. Lock in your CD returns now.
Choose a HELOC over a home equity loan
Do you plan on tapping into your home equity? Home equity loans and home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) are two common options to choose from. But with the prospect of a rate cut ahead, it may be best to choose the latter.
HELOCs typically come with variable rates while interest rates on home equity loans are usually fixed. And, with a potential rate cut ahead, opting for a variable rate over a fixed rate could offer meaningful long-run savings.
Limit your variable-rate savings exposure
Savings accounts offer more flexibility than CDs – making it possible to access your money when you need it. That’s important for your emergency savings. But, with an expected rate cut looming, you should limit your variable-rate savings exposure. Think about how much money you need in your emergency savings and consider locking in a strong fixed rate of return on the rest of your money with a CD.
“Aim to save enough to cover three to six months’ worth of expenses to cushion against unexpected financial setbacks,” explains Justin Stivers, financial advisor and founding attorney at Stivers Law, an estate planning and asset protection law firm. But, once you have that amount in a variable-rate deposit account, like a high-yield savings account, you should consider opening a CD with your remaining savings to lock in today’s rates.
3 things to avoid before interest rates are cut
Although there are a few things you should do with a potential rate cut head, there are also a few financial moves you should avoid, including:
Focusing on short-term CDs
When you open a CD, you can choose short-term or long-term options. Short-term options typically mature within a year while long-term options often take several years. With a potential rate cut ahead, and interest rates high at the moment, it may be best to lock in today’s high rates for multiple years rather than opting for short-term options.
Selling your gold holdings
The potential for a rate cut is tied to the fact that inflation has been cooling. And, since gold is a strong inflation hedge, you may be tempted to sell your gold investment. But, inflation isn’t the only reason you should have gold in your portfolio.
Gold is a safe haven – not just as it relates to inflation, but also against other market risks. Between the current geopolitical stage and the coming election, it’s a good idea to maintain a healthy exposure to safe havens. So, selling your gold holdings could be a mistake.
Lock in a fixed mortgage rate
If you’re in the market for a new home, you may be weighing your fixed and variable-rate options. But, with rates expected to come down ahead, an adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) may be a better option than its fixed-rate counterpart. If you opt for an ARM you could benefit from future rate cuts more quickly versus having to refinance with a fixed-rate loan.
Learn more about your mortgage options today.
The bottom line
It’s important to adjust your financial plan when rate cuts are expected. Those cuts can impact your savings returns and the cost of borrowing money. But, you can protect your returns by opening a long-term CD with a fixed interest rate. Also, limit your variable-rate savings exposure. If you plan on borrowing money against your home equity, or buying a new home, consider variable rate options as they may produce savings later. And, don’t start selling your gold holdings just yet. They may provide valuable protection against market risks outside of inflation.
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
A U.S. citizen who was a representative of a drone company doing business with the Israelis has been wounded in Israel, after the Hamas-aligned militant group Hezbollah fired missiles toward Israel, U.S. officials tell CBS News national security correspondent David Martin.
A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department confirmed that an American civilian was injured, but didn’t offer further details. The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem is assisting the injured American and the citizen’s family, the spokesperson said. The U.S. government has repeatedly urged Americans to stay away from the region because of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
“The department reminds U.S. citizens of the continued need for caution and increased personal security awareness throughout Israel and the West Bank, as security incidents often take place without warning,” the State Department spokesperson also said.
Fears about the possibility of war between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah have grown after an Israeli airstrike killed a senior Hezbollah commander last Wednesday. Israel said the commander, Mohammad Naameh Nasser, was responsible for firing rockets into Israel. Hezbollah responded with another barrage of rocket fire. Like Hamas, Hezbollah is backed by Iran but is believed to be larger and better armed.
Holly Williams, Omar Abdulkader, Margaret Brennan and Olivia Gazis contributed to this report