(TheLibertyRevolution.com)- President Donald Trump shocked many on Thursday when he tweeted that November’s General Election should be delayed or moved until it could be held safely.
A move to widespread mail-in voting would result in 2020 being the “most inaccurate & fraudulent election in history,” he tweeted.
As president, Trump would need Congress to change the date of the election. But even the members of his own party aren’t willing to do so.
“I don’t think that’s a particularly good idea,” South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, the Senate Judiciary Chairman, said.
“I think that’s probably a statement that gets some press attention, but I doubt it gets any serious traction,” Senate Majority Whip John Thune said. “I think we’ve had elections every November since about 1788, and I expect that will be the case again this year.”
Florida Senator Marco Rubio words were straightforward: “I wish he hadn’t said that, but it’s not going to change: We are going to have an election in November, and people should have confidence in it.”
Even Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell chimed in:
“Never in the history of the country, through wars, depressions and the Civil War, have we ever not had a federally-scheduled election on time. We’ll find a way to do that again this November 3rd.”
This marks just the latest disagreement between the president and leaders of his own party. The divide seems to be growing as the days go by, even between Trump and some of his most loyal supporters.
A rift between Trump and Republican leadership has obviously formed around the next coronavirus stimulus package, and that has resulted in delays and little to no progress in negotiations with Democrats.
Even some Republicans who are facing re-election battles in key states this November aren’t standing behind Trump’s comments. North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, for example, could only muster half-hearted support for what Trump was saying, while at the same time disagreeing with the president’s suggestion.
He said:
“The election is going to happen in November, period. Absentee ballots in North Carolina are strongly encouraged, as has the President encouraged them. The safe side to a mail-in vote, I hope we get it mostly … Because otherwise, they’re gonna undermine the integrity of the election.”
Prominent Texas Senator Ted Cruz took a similar route: “Election fraud is a serious problem. We need to stop it and fight it, but no, the election should not be delayed.”
And Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, took direct aim at Trump when he said:
“All I can say is that, it doesn’t matter what one individual in this country says. We still are a country based on the rule of law. And we must follow the law until either the Constitution is changed or until the law is changed.”
Republicans are beginning to distance themselves from Trump as the November election draws closer. Even some who are not up for re-election seem to be making the decision to not throw their full support behind the president, in case he isn’t re-elected.
