President Trump showed support for expanding the 2020 election so that people can safely vote in person during the coronavirus pandemic.
During a Monday morning interview with Fox & Friends, Trump was asked if he would be okay with in-person voting lasting for more than a day to prevent what he claims could be widespread voter fraud should states send out mass mail-in ballots.
“We all know we’re in a pandemic. No one denies that. Would you be open to doing anything different than Nov. 3? Would you be open to Nov. 2? Would you be open to voting through the weekend to give people a chance to socially distance? Would you support more locations, National Guard working? Would you sit down and try to work some adjustments in?” co-host Brian Kilmeade said.
Trump said he “would support all of that.”
Whether Trump has the power to change the date of the election has been widely discussed over the past few weeks. The Constitution gives Congress the power to decide the timing of the election, which takes place on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. A change in federal law would be required to move the date.
Also during the interview, the president reiterated his defense of absentee voting, which requires a voter to submit an application for a ballot, and condemned mass mail-in voting.
Democrats, who support expanding mail-in voting to prevent voters from exposing themselves to the coronavirus, have accused Trump and the postmaster general of actively trying to sabotage the U.S. Postal Service ahead of the election.
