“President Donald Trump’s barrage of challenges to the reputation, structures and traditions of elections is conjuring up a contentious and potentially constitutionally critical three-month period for America’s democracy” Stephen Collinson writes on CNN.
“Trump is casting false accusations of massive fraud in mail-in voting, though has now reversed his position on the practice in must-win Florida, leaving the absurd impression it’s only fair in states with Republican governors. ‘I’m doing our country a big favor by bringing it up, and you know, from a common sense standpoint, if you look at it just out of common sense and pure basic beautiful intelligence — you know it can’t work,’ Trump said Wednesday. Trump has baselessly claimed that the result of the November 3 vote will not be known for ‘years’ — apparently seeking to discredit in advance an election that polls suggest he is currently losing to Democrat Joe Biden. His campaign has now also initiated a new attempt to wring advantage from the customary arrangements for three presidential debates, after laying false claims that Biden wants to opt out. He’s also submitted a list of potential moderators, including Fox News hosts, conservative commentators who’ve given him easy interviews, and opinion journalists who have published work supportive of his presidency. Now the President says he may deliver his speech to the virtual Republican National Convention from the South Lawn of the White House, obliterating the tradition of presidents seeking to safeguard their office from politicization.”