DONALD Trump has called for the US election to be delayed because it is "fraudulent".
The President made the call to postpone the November contest until "people can properly, securely and safely vote" just minutes after the American economy had its worst quarter ever.
The US economy shrank by 33% in the April-June quarter, coming as the pandemic has shut down businesses and left 14.7% of Americans unemployed.
Trump wanted to delay the vote due to mail-in votes which he claims will lead to fraud.
There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud through postal voting, even in states with all-mail votes.
He tweeted: "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???"
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
The dates of federal elections are set by the US Congress, and the country’s constitution makes no provisions for a delay to the January 20, 2021 presidential inauguration.
When asked on Tuesday if Trump has the power to delay the vote, Attorney General Bill Barr said: "Actually I haven't looked into that question under the Constitution. I've never been asked the question before, I've never looked into it."
Five states already rely exclusively on postal votes, and they say they have necessary safeguards in place to ensure that a hostile foreign actor does not disrupt the vote. Election security experts say that all forms of voter fraud are rare, including absentee balloting.
Trump has increasingly sought to cast doubt on November’s election and the expected surge in postal and absentee voting as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump has called remote voting options the “biggest risk” to his re-election. His campaign and the Republican Party have sued to combat the practice, which was once a significant advantage for the Republicans.
Last month, Trump told supporters in Arizona that “this will be, in my opinion, the most corrupt election in the history of our country”.
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