Former Vice President Al Gore used a George Floyd reference to condemn President Trump’s criticisms of voting by mail.
Gore, a Democrat, accused Trump of suffocating democracy by doubting the legitimacy of voting by mail during the coronavirus pandemic. He said that Trump “put his knee on the neck of democracy” in reference to Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck during an arrest.
“He seems to have no compunctions at all about trying to rip apart the social fabric and the political equilibrium of the American people, and he’s strategically planting doubts in advance,” Gore said in an interview with Reuters.
Gore called Trump’s remarks about mail-in voting “despicable” and claimed that he was sowing doubt about the election process to try to stay in power. Gore said he is confident that Trump will be forced to leave office if he loses in November, even if he does not want to go. He said the established institutions would ensure that power is transferred peacefully to Joe Biden.
“It’s not really up to him,” Gore said.
Gore lost the 2000 presidential election to George W. Bush following a contentious recount in Florida. Many have expressed concern that the rapid shift to vote-by-mail could cause the results to be delayed in the 2020 election as it has in some primary races throughout the country. Former presidential contender Hillary Clinton urged Biden not to concede on election night if he trails Trump because there could be a delay before the real results are known.
