Stirewalt: Trump's suggestion to delay election a 'real bad move' that telegraphs his weakness
An incumbent in a strong position would never suggest delaying an election, Fox News politics editor Chris Stirewalt says.
Fox News politics editor Chris Stirewalt said on Thursday that President Trump’s tweet suggesting that the general election should be delayed is a "fragrant expression of his current weakness" in the polls.
“A person who is in a strong position would never suggest anything like that so Trump may be making a tactical error hereby further telegraphing his weak position in the polls and his weak position in the election,” Stirewalt told “America’s Newsroom.”
TRUMP SUGGESTS DELAYING ELECTION, WARNS MAIL-IN BALLOTS TO RESULT IN ‘INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT’ VOTE
Trump on Thursday floated the possibility of delaying November’s general election, in a fiery new warning about the implications of mail-in ballots.
In a tweet in which he claimed that the practice on a "universal" scale would lead to “the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history,” Trump suggested: “Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???”
The president’s tweet comes 96 days before the Nov. 3 election, and with early voting in some states starting in just two months. It also comes as the coronavirus pandemic continues unabated, with new cases of the virus spiking in many states. Trump’s suggestion coincided too with the federal government reporting on Thursday the worst economic contraction in the nation’s history, as the pandemic has flattened much of the economy and attempted moves by states to revive their economies have been hampered by a surge in new coronavirus cases.
Stirewalt said Trump's tweet was a "bad move" because it telegraphs "weakness" while the commander in chief should be demonstrating strength as an incumbent.
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“On the other hand, that’s different than proposing delaying the election,” Stirewalt said.
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