Trump Accused California Election Fraud After Gym Membership Cards Rumor Spread

A rumor that California accepts gym membership cards as ID for voter registration spread online after U.S. President Donald Trump accused California of election fraud in the June 2, 2026, primary.

“In the immediate days after last week’s primary election, the vast community of right-wing bloggers, X users, podcasters and YouTuber influencers trumpeted that California, the state they love to hate, was turning red”

CalMatters

Snopes traced the claim to an X post by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli of the Central District of California, who said the Justice Department was seeking access to California voter rolls to verify that all voters listed were eligible to vote.

CalMatters

Snopes said that based on documentation from the California secretary of state, a newly registered voter can present a gym membership card to poll workers as a proof of identity and residence the first time they vote in a federal election if they registered online or by mail and did not submit a state ID card number or Social Security number.

The California secretary of state's website, as quoted by Snopes, also says that an online or mail application to register to vote does not automatically guarantee registration because county elections officials must verify that the applicant is eligible to vote.

Snopes added that it was unclear whether this constituted using a gym card to register to vote, and said it reached out to both the California secretary of state and Essayli's office for more details.

In the days after the June 2, 2026, primary, President Donald Trump and allies pushed unfounded claims of California voter fraud as ballots were still being counted, with NBC News framing it as a potential preview of November’s midterms.

On NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Kristen Welker asked Trump, “Do you have evidence to support that?” and Trump replied, “All I have to do is look,” before Welker said, “But sir, that’s not evidence.”

CNN

Trump then accused California officials of “cheating,” and Welker pressed back with “That’s how they count the votes in California,” prompting Trump to respond, “No, they’re crooked … just like you’re crooked.”

The Guardian reported that pro-democracy experts warned Trump was “inventing fraud” in California’s primary elections, quoting Omar Noureldin saying, “The problem is that we have a president in the Oval Office who continues to lie and sow doubt over elections instead of facing accountability from voters.”

The Guardian also quoted Edgar Lin of Protect Democracy saying, “The president keeps inventing fraud in elections he loses,” as the article described California as the “latest – and largest – test” of the approach.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli told “The Glenn Beck Program” that he expected “people will be charged” over alleged voter fraud in California and said he wanted “a wide-scale audit of the California voter roll.”

“When Mitt Romney ran for the Senate 18 years ago, he was fairing quite well against Ted Kennedy, right up until voters started hearing from some of Romney’svictims”

MS NOW

Essayli also said on “The Glenn Beck Program” that his office was “multiple election fraud investigations underway” and criticized California’s system, while CNN reported that DOJ officials were “dance[ing] around” Trump’s unsupported claims and had launched no new criminal cases tied to the Los Angeles election.

CNN quoted Essayli saying, “Right now, I would say, our investigations lean into more individual actors,” while also describing that DOJ leaders had not found the kind of fraud that would impact electoral outcomes.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta rejected Trump’s claims, calling them “Truly embarrassing, unhinged, wild-eyed, dangerous, reckless, desperate,” and told Morning Edition, “What's your evidence for the bold claim you've made? He has none.”

NPR reported Bonta’s warning that he expects more election-related misinformation, adding that “The danger is the action that follows the lie,” as he said his office had been tabletopping scenarios for possible responses.