(NewsNation) — After President-elect Donald Trump previously criticized early voting, the former chairwoman of the Republican National Committee says it was critical that he led the effort to get more voters to the polls before Election Day.
An estimated 85.9 million early votes were cast before Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris to secure a second term in the White House, but Ronna McDaniel said after the victory that Trump made a change in encouraging his supporters to go against his former voting guidance.
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“There’s no better person that’s going to get voters to change their habits, to believe in it, than President Trump,” McDaniel said, adding, “This is certainly something that took an education, but it wouldn’t have happened without the top of the ticket saying it. This has to be the norm going forward. We can’t expect to get everything on Election Day.”
Heading into Trump’s second White House term, McDaniel expects things to be different than his first. Trump has a better understanding of Washington, she said, and she believes Trump will have a definite plan from Day 1. Trump could have a fully Republican-controlled Congress to work with after the GOP flipped the Senate, but McDaniel says he will be eager to work across the aisle.
“I think he is talking about things that have bipartisan support,” McDaniel said. “Like a border that we need safe and secure, like making sure we that we tackle our energy independence. I think there’s so much bipartisanship in Washington, and I believe President Trump will work across the aisle.”