President Donald Trump accused Democrats of trying to "steal" the California governor and Los Angeles mayor primaries in early-morning posts on Truth Social, citing "very late and massive" mail-in ballots without offering evidence. He later called it "BIG cheating" and suggested the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles was involved, though no formal federal inquiry had been confirmed. Counting continued under California's open primary system, with Republican Steve Hilton leading the governor's race at roughly 28% and Mayor Karen Bass holding a runoff spot in Los Angeles. Officials and analysts warned that remaining ballots could still change the outcomes.
Trump Accuses Democrats Of Trying To 'Steal' California Primaries, Calls It 'Big Cheating'
Donald Trump outside with Washington Monument in background
President Donald Trump took to Truth Social in the early hours of Wednesday to accuse Democrats of attempting to "steal" two high-profile California primary contests, repeating long-standing complaints about late-arriving mail ballots without offering evidence as officials continued counting ballots across the state.
Trump’s posts:
The Dumocrats are at it again! They are trying to STEAL THE GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA PRIMARY, AND THE MAYOR OF LOS ANGELES, PRIMARY, AWAY FROM TWO GREAT REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES. Here we go with the very late and massive numbers of MAIL IN BALLOTS
There’s BIG cheating by the Dumocrats in California. Votes are all tied up. May not be in for weeks. Under investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles. Why the vote counting DELAY??? President DJT
Trump did not present documentation or independent evidence to support these allegations. It was also unclear what specific probe, if any, he was referring to when mentioning the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles; no formal federal investigation into statewide counting practices had been announced publicly at the time.
California response and context
The office of California Governor Gavin Newsom responded on X, writing: "Trump is lying about California again — time to take the phone away from grandpa and put him to sleep." State and local election officials stressed that ongoing processing of mail-in, provisional and drop-off ballots is routine and that late-arriving ballots have historically produced shifts in results in California's elections.
Where the races stood
California uses an open primary system in which the top two finishers advance to a runoff regardless of party. As canvassing continued:
- Republican Steve Hilton led the governor's contest with roughly 28% of the vote after more than half of ballots had been counted.
- Democrat Xavier Becerra trailed in second, with Democrat Tom Steyer close enough that remaining ballots could change the order.
- In Los Angeles, incumbent Mayor Karen Bass had secured one runoff spot. Republican and former reality TV personality Spencer Pratt held a narrowing lead over progressive Democrat Nithya Raman for the second runoff position as additional ballots were tallied.
Election analysts urged patience, noting that late-arriving mail ballots and provisional ballots commonly alter preliminary standings during California's post-election canvass.
Bottom line: Trump’s early-morning social media claims amplified long-running concerns he’s voiced about mail ballots and counting delays, but the public record did not include evidence of the specific fraud or a confirmed federal investigation he cited. Officials and analysts warned that final outcomes could still change as counting continues.
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