Trump slams Nevada governor at rally, takes aim at mail-in voting

President Trump took aim at Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) during a campaign rally Saturday night, accusing the state leader and other Democrats of using mail-in voting to “rig” the upcoming November election. 

Trump began his rally in Minden, Nev., on Saturday night taking aim at Sisolak, saying that the governor tried to prevent his campaign from holding the event. 

"You know the governor of your state," Trump said before pausing to a chorus of boos, "tried very hard to stop us from having this event tonight." 

"He tried to stop us. He tried to stop us. The governor of Nevada. He tried to stop us and we went to different venues," Trump said. 

The president went on to claim that Sisolak called different venues to prevent the rally from taking place. 

“Here's a guy calling venues telling them not to have the rally. Calling different venues, don't have the rally…" 

A spokesperson for the governor said they did not have communication with campaign organizers, but the event did violate public health guidelines limiting gatherings to no more than 50 people. 

The remarks come following the news on Wednesday that the venues scheduled to hold Trump campaign events in the state had pulled out due to coronavirus restrictions on gatherings. 

Sisolak issued a May directive limiting gatherings to 50 people or fewer to stem the spread of the virus. 

Trump then took aim at Democrats in general, saying they were trying to "rig the election." 

“The Democrats are trying to rig this election because that’s the only way they’re going to win,” the president said to a large, predominantly maskless crowd.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Democrats have advocated for mail-in voting amid concerns about COVID-19. 

“Let’s face it: Joe is shot. He doesn’t know what’s happening. He’ll be locked up in a room someplace and the radical left will be running everything,” the president continued, referencing his Democratic challenger, former Vice President Joe Biden. 

Trump maintained that the only way that he would be tied with the former vice president in Nevada "is if they screw around with the ballots, which they will do in my opinion."

The salvos launched at Democrats and mail-in voting is nothing new for Trump. On multiple occasions including recent rallies, the president has slammed voting by mail, claiming that the practice opens up the elections to widespread voter fraud. However, there is no substantial evidence to suggest that mail-in voting leads to voter fraud. 

The president also asserted that in Nevada "you don't have to have an authorized signature" on mail-in ballots. According to the Nevada Secretary of State’s office, ballots are rejected if the signatures on them do not match the signature on file.

The Trump campaign has filed a lawsuit against Nevada over a bill Sisolak signed this year aimed at expanding mail-in voting before the November elections.

“He's in control of millions of votes,” Trump said of Sisolak on Saturday...This is the guy that we're trusting with millions of ballots, unsolicited ballots.”

Elections are typically run by secretaries of state, not governors.