On Thursday, President Donald Trump insisted that he did not want to change the date of the 2020 election but does worry that mail-in voting would be a disaster.
“No, do I want to see a date change? No,” Trump said. “But I don’t want to see a crooked election. This election will be the most rigged election in history, if that happens.”
President Donald Trump today floated the idea of a "delay" to the Nov. 3 presidential election. He later said he does not want a delay.
The dates of presidential elections are enshrined in federal law and would require an act of Congress to change. More: https://t.co/UoIs3a4Jyd pic.twitter.com/kqCZryNHsD
— PBS NewsHour (@NewsHour) July 30, 2020
Trump’s comments came after he shared a tweet about possibly delaying the election
Trump’s comments came during a White House press conference late Thursday. They were in response to a firestorm he sparked earlier Thursday when he appeared to ponder the idea of changing the date of the election.
“With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history,” Trump tweeted. “It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???”
With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 30, 2020
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POTUS can’t change election date
The presidential election is scheduled for November 3, 2020. It should be noted that under the U.S. Constitution the President does not have the power to change the date of the election.
Still, Trump said that was never his intention at all with his tweet, but that he just wanted to raise concerns about mail-in voting.
I believe the election will proceed as planned with measures ensuring that Americans can vote safely and securely— as we do in Utah. If circumstances arise, then Congress will be the one to determine a delay, as is our Constitutional duty.https://t.co/UPuRJDSVEx
— Rep. John Curtis (@RepJohnCurtis) July 30, 2020
Trump is actually the one worried about a delayed election
President Trump said he worried that come November, ballots might take weeks if not months to get counted, and there might not be a clear winner declared on election night.
“I don’t want to see that take place in a week after Nov. 3, or a month, or frankly – with litigation and everything else that can happen – years,” Trump said.
Trump on delaying 2020 election: “I don't want to have to wait for 3 months and then find out the ballots are all missing and the election doesn't mean anything. That is what is going to happen."
It will be the “most rigged election in history” if mail-in voting is allowed. pic.twitter.com/zFKDesv53T
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) July 31, 2020
Trump: ‘I don’t want to be waiting around for weeks and for months’ to determine a winner in November
Trump warned that the hundreds of millions of universal mail-in ballots being sent out could be extremely problematic and might complicate the election.
While Trump said he was in favor of absentee ballots, he added, “I don’t want to be waiting around for weeks and for months” on election day to determine the winner.