Trump makes fraud claims about California primary as Vance calls for investigation of Tim Walz

Jun 9, 2026

President Trump is making baseless claims of election fraud in California's primary, which officials call "unhinged" and dangerous. Concurrently, VP JD Vance has asked the DOJ to investigate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz over fraud allegations in a House GOP report. Democrats dismiss the actions as "political stunts," while experts warn Trump is using federal power to undermine elections, a tactic he used in 2020 but now with loyalists in his administration.

Trump California fraud claims

▪Trump claimed on Truth Social that California has "Rigged Elections!" and is a "3rd World Nation."
▪President Donald Trump has made baseless claims of election fraud in California's primary elections.
▪California Attorney General Rob Bonta called President Trump's fraud claims "embarrassing, unhinged, wild-eyed, dangerous, reckless, desperate."
▪The White House did not provide evidence for Trump's claims but stated "countless Americans share the same concerns."

Federal election interference efforts

▪Vance's referral was based on a 205-page report by the Republican-controlled House Oversight Committee alleging Minnesota officials failed to act on fraud.
▪The Department of Justice sent a federal prosecutor to observe ballot processing in Los Angeles following Trump's claims.
▪Vice President JD Vance asked the Department of Justice to investigate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison for fraud.
▪California AG Rob Bonta is co-leading a multistate lawsuit challenging a Trump executive order they say unlawfully interferes with state-run elections.

California vote-counting procedures

▪All eligible California voters receive mail-in ballots, and results can take weeks to count due to verification processes and grace periods.
▪California uses a "jungle primary" system where the top two vote-getters advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation.
▪California allows voters 22 days to "cure" ballot errors, such as mismatched signatures, which contributes to the lengthy counting period.

Trump election denial history

▪Unlike in 2020, President Trump now has an administration with loyalists who may not challenge his attempts to undermine election results.
▪Experts state Trump has a history of claiming events are rigged when he loses, including the 2020 election and the Emmy awards.

Democratic accountability concerns

▪Minnesota Governor Tim Walz ended his bid for a third term, stating he needed to focus on leading the state amid the fraud issues.
▪Minnesota AG Keith Ellison described the House report as "unfounded" and Vice President Vance's referral as a "political stunt."
▪The House GOP report alleges Minnesota officials knew of fraud as early as 2019 but failed to act, allowing criminal schemes to flourish.
▪The largest Minnesota fraud scheme involved a non-profit, Feeding Our Future, which stole $250 million in COVID-era funds.
▪The orchestrator of the Feeding Our Future scheme, Aimee Bock, was sentenced to nearly 42 years in prison.