Donald Trump Teases Delay Of 2020 Election: Internet Goes Bonkers

President Donald Trump delivers remarks about American energy production during a visit to the Double Eagle Energy Oil Rig

US President Donald Trump suggested on Thursday that the presidential election in November be delayed, saying that postal voting would make the election "inaccurate and fraudulent".

In a string of posts on his Twitter account, Trump said he wanted to postpone elections because of potential "mail-in voting fraud" but failed to back his claim up with evidence.

"It will be a great embarrassment to the U.S.", he added.

Likewise, West Virginia's secretary of state, Republican, Mac Warner, said his state is preparing to "provide a safe and secure election in November". Elections officials have stopped using the latter term as most states no longer require an excuse, such as being absent on Election Day, to request a mail-in ballot.

Matthew Lebo, chair of political science at Western University, previously told Global News that mail-in voting does not substantially increase voter fraud, and if it does at all, it would be by a "tiny, tiny amount".

Recent polls indicate presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is leading Trump by as much as 11% in battleground states and Trump's disapproval rating is hovering near 60%, mainly over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. It can not be changed without an act of Congress, which would be hard to pass in the Democratic-controlled House.

Top Republicans in Congress quickly rebuffed Trump. Carlson called Duckworth, who lost both legs while fighting in the Iraq war, a "coward" and said she was among those who "actually hate America", because she said she was open to dialogue about the idea of removing statues of George Washington, the United States' first president and a slave owner. "Even beyond that, there's no accurate count!" he said. His attorney general, William P. Barr, was backing him up with unsubstantiated claims that foreign powers could somehow take advantage of mail-in voting. Again, we have to be very clear here and assure you that this is NOT something the president has the power to do.

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If Trump nonetheless chooses to try to stay in office, it will then be for the courts to declare Biden president.

The dates of federal elections are set by Congress, and the Constitution makes no provisions for a delay to the January 20, 2021 presidential inauguration.

In fact, Trump himself has voted by mail several times.

During a press conference Thursday, the Republican governor said it was "critically important" that both the general election on November 3, as well as the MA state primary on September 1, happen as scheduled. Senator Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally, said, "Delaying the election probably wouldn't be a good idea".

The president's tweet comes 96 days before the November 3 election, and with early voting in some states starting in just two months.

Last month, Trump told supporters in Arizona that "this will be, in my opinion, the most corrupt election in the history of our country". But Trump's tweet today is unprecedented, and we have to take it seriously in case the president truly intends to lead us down a risky path.

Trump without evidence has cast doubt on the legitimacy of mail-in ballots, which have been used in far greater numbers in primary elections amid the pandemic. "I think Florida will be ready to go".

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