Trump claims California elections are being rigged as results tighten
Former president Donald Trump alleged fraud in California's mayoral and gubernatorial primaries, while officials and media noted no evidence supports his accusations.
Donald Trump used his Truth Social platform late Tuesday to allege that the California primary elections for mayor of Los Angeles and governor were being manipulated against Republican candidates. He wrote that the contests were "crooked" and warned of "great trouble and consternation" if the Democratic candidates prevailed.
The post came as vote counting showed Democrat Nithya Raman moving ahead of reality-TV personality Spencer Pratt in the Los Angeles mayoral race, securing a place in the runoff alongside incumbent Mayor Karen Bass. In the statewide gubernatorial primary, former Health Secretary Xavier Becerra led with 72 percent of votes counted, while Republican former TV host Steve Hilton and Democrat Tom Steyer vied for the second slot.
Trump offered no evidence for his allegations when questioned by NBC's Meet the Press host Kristen Welker, stating only that he could "look" for proof. Welker responded that his claim lacked supporting data, after which Trump ended the interview.
Other conservative commentators echoed similar doubts, with influencer Laura Loomer posting on X that the mayoral race was being "stolen" from Pratt and calling for Department of Justice involvement. Election officials noted that California routinely counts mail-in and drop-off ballots for several days after Election Day, a process that historically benefits Democratic voters who use mail voting at higher rates.
"Has anybody been watching the CROOKED Election going on in California," Trump wrote on Truth Social at 11:02 p.m. ET.
No election officials have reported irregularities in the ongoing counts, and the results remain under standard verification procedures.