Trump Floats Idea of Delaying the Election

President Trump on Thursday voiced the thought many of his political opponents don't want to hear: He raised the idea of delaying November's election. "With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history," he tweeted. "It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???" The president, who is trailing in the polls, did not immediately elaborate on the idea. The Washington Post notes that the Constitution gives Congress, not the president, the power to regulate the election date.

In April, Joe Biden said this: "Mark my words, I think he is going to try to kick back the election somehow, come up with some rationale why it can't be held." A Trump campaign spokesperson dismissed the idea at the time as "conspiracy theory ramblings." Since the prediction, the coronavirus has only worsened in the US, with the death toll now surpassing 150,000. States are ramping up vote-by-mail efforts, but Trump alleges that would open the door to voter fraud. (More President Trump stories.)