Donald Trump escalates claims California's mail-in ballots for all are 'illegal' and now claims ballots will be 'stolen and forged' - despite voting by mail himself

Donald Trump escalates claims California's mail-in ballots for all are 'illegal' and now claims ballots will be 'stolen and forged' - despite voting by mail himself

• President Trump continued to allege that widespread voter fraud would occur if states sent all Americans ballots 
• Trump went after California Tuesday morning saying there was 'NO WAY' mail-in balloting could be used without there being fraud 
• The president suggested mail boxes would be 'robbed' and ballots could be 'illegally printed out & fraudulently signed' 
• His attack on California came two days after the Republican National Committee and two other GOP groups signed the state 
• Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order that would send every California voter a ballot for the November election 

• President Trump escalated his claims Tuesday that California's mail-in ballots will lead to substantial voter fraud in the November general election. 

  'There is NO WAY (ZERO!) that Mail-In Ballots will be anything less than substantially

  fraudulent. Mail boxes will be robbed, ballots will be forged & even illegally printed out & fraudulently signed,' Trump wrote. 

  The president then insinuated that non-citizens could get ballots. 

  'The Governor of California is sending Ballots to millions of people, anyone living in the state, no matter who they are or how they got there, will get one,' the president said. 'That will be followed up with professionals telling all of these people, many of whom have never even thought of voting before, how, and for whom, to vote.' 

• The president ended the two-tweet tirade by saying, 'This will be a Rigged Election.' 

  'No way!' said Trump, who votes in Florida absentee. 

• Trump's tweets came after the Republican National Committee and two other GOP groups filed a lawsuit Sunday against California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who had signed an executive order to use mail-in ballots for the November election.    

  California was the first state in the country to commit to sending mail-in ballots to all registered voters for the November election, a move responding to the coronavirus pandemic.

  'Democrats continue to use this pandemic as a ploy to implement their partisan election agenda, and Governor Newsom's executive order is the latest direct assault on the integrity of our elections,' RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement.

  The RNC said that voting by mail creates an opportunity for fraud. 

  Republicans, including Trump, have claimed mail-in voting is susceptible to rigging.

  'No state that conducts all-mail elections automatically mails ballots to inactive voters because it invites fraud, coercion, theft, and otherwise illegitimate voting,' it added.