[Global Times reporter Zhang Mengxu's heavy responsibility] After being opposed by Democrats, Republicans and people from all walks of life, US President Trump changed his position on the afternoon of July 30 and said that he did not want to postpone this year’s election, but he was still worried. Voting by mail will result in unfair elections. The British "Financial Times" stated that Trump's stance on the election was to divert attention from the United States on the economic downturn in the second quarter. He may also object to the possible defeat and reject the election on the grounds that the postal vote triggered confusion in the election. Resignation, thus plunged the United States into a constitutional crisis.
Justification and criticism
"Do I want to reschedule? No, but I don't want to see an unfair election." According to USA Today, Trump told reporters at the White House on the afternoon of July 30 that he hopes to hold the election on time, but Voting by mail may cause confusion, and it may take weeks, months, or even years to resolve related issues. I don’t want to wait three months to find that all votes have been lost, and the election will become meaningless. Just a few hours ago, Trump issued a tweet trying to suggest a postponement of the election, saying that this was because a mailed vote would lead to the "most inaccurate and deceptive" election in US history this year.
Trump's proposal was widely resisted. According to CNN and other media reports on July 30, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and Democrat Pelosi released a summary of the U.S. Constitution on Twitter on Thursday, showing that Congress is responsible for setting the Electoral College rules. The Democrat Love Green stated that only Congress can amend the election date. “We will not consider doing this under any circumstances.” Otherwise, it will accept the president’s ineffective response to the new crown pneumonia epidemic or believe in the “lie and misinformation” he spreads. . Democratic Rep. Kildi bluntly stated that Trump is "selling lies and proposing to postpone the election in order to preserve his power."
"In our national history, whether it was a war, a (economic) depression or a civil war, we held federal elections on time. On November 3 this year we will find a way to do this again," according to the Washington Post According to media reports such as US Senate Republican Leader McConnell expressed opposition to Trump's proposal. In addition to him, party leaders such as the Senate Republican "whip" Sonn, House Republican leader McCarthy, and many important lawmakers have said that the election should not be postponed, and that the American people can vote safely in November. Republican Representative John said that postponing the election will affect the legitimacy of the election. Even US Secretary of State Pompeo, who has always supported Trump, said that the election should be held "in accordance with the law."
According to the Washington Post, there has never been a president in American history trying to postpone an election. Calabrese, founder of the conservative "Federalist Association", wrote in the "New York Times" that the postponement of the election constitutes "a reason for the immediate impeachment of the president." U.S. Postal Workers Union chairman Dimonstein accused Trump of undermining people's confidence in the U.S. Postal Service, saying that mail voting "basically will not be fraudulent." American Civil Liberties Union voting rights project director Dell He said that the constitution sets the election date in November, and no matter what Trump says, does or tweets, it cannot change this fact.
Undermine the legitimacy of the election?
The Washington Post reported that in the face of criticism from all walks of life, Trump seemed indifferent, even putting his tweets about the election to the top all day on Thursday. Several Trump advisers said that there was no discussion within the White House about changing the election date. A White House adviser hinted that Trump was deliberately drawing attention to the dangers of mail-in voting. Trump released a new tweet late on Thursday, suggesting that he "manipulated" the news media to report on this issue, "I am glad that I can get the very dishonest media to start talking about the dangerous mass mailing vote that will bring us democracy. risks of."
Many media outlets, including the US Business Insider website and Reuters, believe that Trump's continued promotion of misleading remarks about mail voting is to undermine the legitimacy of this year's election. With less than 100 days before the election, Trump's re-election prospects are getting bleak. He wants to convince Americans that the Democrats are trying to manipulate the election by pushing to expand the scope of mail voting. In this case, if Trump loses on November 3, he can say that the election results are false. Galston, an expert on American issues at the Brookings Institution, said Trump may declare victory before the ballots in key states are counted and encourage his supporters to initiate a destructive crisis. Trump may also initiate a legal action that refuses to recognize the legality of some mailed votes and delays for several weeks before admitting defeat. The source said that Biden's team members are preparing for a "nightmare situation."
Fox: Trump election goes downhill
The biggest advantage of Trump's previous reelection campaign is considered to be the economy. Fox News, which has always supported Trump, interpreted Trump's proposal to postpone the election as a sign of a decline in elections. Fox News political editor Stewart believes that Trump made a tactical error, further highlighting his weak position in the election. According to the "Washington Post" report, some Democrats believe that Trump's proposal reflects that he is "scared" and realizes that he might lose to Biden.
However, Senor, who served as an adviser to the Republican Romney's campaign team in 2012, posted in the Financial Times on Thursday that although the prospects for Trump's reelection campaign are bleak, he believes that it is too early for him to be completely out. The American people's support for Biden is not firm enough, and his recent "appearance rate" is too low, which creates opportunities for Trump to attract voters. Trump is good at debating. If Biden reappears in the presidential election debate that has plagued him for decades, Trump will usher in the biggest breakthrough. In addition, if the outside world sees Trump taking necessary measures to control the new crown pneumonia epidemic while recovering the economy, his chances of winning re-election will increase. If the main Western candidate for the new coronavirus vaccine is positive, Trump may also benefit from it. On July 30, Trump also boasted on Twitter that he would win the election this year.