AFP, WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump will cast his own ballot for reelection early while in Florida on Saturday, the White House said Thursday.

“President Trump plans to early vote on Saturday in West Palm Beach, Florida,” spokesman Judd Deere said.

Trump’s residence when not in the White House is officially Florida, where he owns two large golf resorts, one of them in the Atlantic beach town of West Palm Beach.

The US election is not until November 3 but this year has seen unprecedented numbers of Americans voting early either in person or by mail-in ballots.

Most are voting early to avoid likely long lines on Election Day at a time of rising coronavirus cases across the nation.

Trump has for months railed against what he says is the unsafe expansion of mail-in voting, claiming repeatedly that the election will be rigged. Polls show him headed for defeat.

Florida is one of the states he almost certainly has to win to accumulate enough electoral college votes to beat Democrat Joe Biden. The president will be holding two campaign rallies there on Friday.