President Donald Trump suggests delay in US Presidential election 2020

Image courtesy: Reuters

New Delhi: US President Donald Trump on Thursday (July 30) suggested a delay in 2020 elections, saying it will be "the most inaccurate and fraudulent election" due to mail-in voting.

In a tweet, the US President said, "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

President Trump’s tweet came minutes after the Commerce Department reported the economy shrank at a record 32.9% pace in the second quarter and Labor Department figures showed increasing numbers of Americans claiming state unemployment benefits, according to a Bloomberg report.

Notably, the presidential election is held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. The schedule cannot be changed without an act of Congress, which would be difficult to pass in the Democratic-controlled House.

Donald Trump is reportedly trailing Democratic nominee Joe Biden by 8 percentage points in the Real Clear Politics average of polls. He is also trailing in averages of polls in the states of Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, the report added.