House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said President Trump does not support people voting by mail in upcoming elections because he does not have “confidence” that Republicans can “convince the American people about a path to go forward.”
“I feel sad that the president doesn’t have confidence that his party cannot convince the American people about a path to go forward,” Pelosi said Tuesday during an interview on MSNBC. “That’s what elections are about: What is your vision for the future?”
Pelosi was asked about comments Trump made Monday disagreeing with expanded federal funding specifically for vote-by-mail processes in states across the country.
Democrats had tried to include a specific provision for vote-by-mail funding in the $2 trillion coronavirus economic relief package Congress passed last week. The final bill included $400 million to help states prepare for upcoming elections but did not make specifications for vote by mail.
“The things they had in there were crazy,” Trump said Monday during an interview with Fox News. “They had things — levels of voting that, if you ever agreed to it, you’d never have a Republican elected in this country again.”
Pelosi said she intended to again push for vote-by-mail efforts as part of the next stimulus package, citing “a reality of life.”
Democrats have argued the public health crisis created by the coronavirus is an example of why an expanded remote voting system in America is needed.
“The DNC is urging the remaining primary states to use a variety of other critical mechanisms that will make voting easier and safer for voters and election officials alike,” Tom Perez, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, told the New York Times last week. “The simplest tool is vote by mail, which is already in use in a number of states and should be made available to all registered voters.”
Pelosi argued Democrats were sharing messages with voters that resonate more with the average person than what Trump and his team have accomplished during his first term in office.
“What do you know about our challenges? How strategic are you to get the job done? How do you connect with the kitchen table needs of the American people?” Pelosi said. “But I feel sad that the president doesn’t have confidence in his own party that vote by mail would deter any future elections. No. I don’t think that’s the case.”
