Trump Can’t Delay the Election. He Can Still Do Lasting Harm.
Republicans should condemn the president’s unfounded assertion that this year’s vote will be illegitimate.
Don’t let the door hit you.
Photographer: Sarah Silbiger/UPI/Bloomberg
Throughout his first term, President Donald Trump has set new standards for reckless and divisive conduct in office. His latest declaration marks a dangerous new low. He suggested this morning (on Twitter, of course) that the election in November, which will rely more heavily than usual on mail-in voting due to the pandemic, was bound to be inaccurate and fraudulent, and floated the idea of delaying it.
When confronted with Trump’s outrageous behavior in the past, Republicans in Congress have generally pleaded ignorance or offered qualified defenses. They should recognize this latest intervention as something different — an indefensible provocation that could do lasting damage to American democracy.