President Trump on Thursday tried to soften remarks he'd made hours before where he seemed to confirm he opposes Democrats' proposed increase in funds for the U.S. Postal Service since he wants to make it harder to expand voting by email, claiming his only goal in denying that the agency capital is to ensure the integrity of the Nov. 3 election.
While Trump has railed against mail-in voting, falsely claiming it leads to rampant fraud, even during his regular briefing to reporters Thursday, he said he would not veto a coronavirus relief bill just because it included support to the Postal Service. But he continued to push the unsubstantiated claim that widespread voting by mail would cause an abuse of the system.
"We need people to vote, but we want people to vote so when they vote it means one vote," Trump said.
"I am not doing this for almost any reason," Trump said, speaking to his push to deny the agency funds. "Perhaps the other turns out to be my advantage. I really don't know, I can not tell you that. However, I do know this: I simply need an accurate vote."
Trump was reacting to questions regarding remarks in a Thursday morning interview with Fox Business Network's Maria Bartiromo, who had asked why the White House and congressional Democrats are still miles apart on approving a fresh relief bargain.
Trump said one major factor is the Democrats' drive for an injection of funds in the Postal Service to enlarge voting by mail.
"They [the Democrats] want $3 1/2 billion for something that'll prove to be fraudulent -- that's election cash essentially," Trump said.
Continued the president"They need $25 billion for the post office. They need that money in order to get the post office function so it may take each these countless millions of ballots. In the meantime, they aren't getting there. But if they do not get those 2 things, then that means that you can't have worldwide mail-in voting since they are not equipped to have it."
Eight states are mailing ballots to all active voters this fall, including five that have been doing so for decades, but most states are not running what Trump calls universal mail-in voting.
Trump continued:"If we don't make a bargain, that means they do not get the money
. That means they can't have worldwide mail-in voting. They just can't have it"
Throughout his Thursday briefing to reporters, Trump insisted that stance, saying:"We have to have an honest election, and if it's not likely to become an honest election, I guess people have to sit and think very long and hard about it."
"If they're not going to approve a statement, and also the post office, therefore, won't have the cash, and if they are not going to approve a significant bill -- a larger bill -- and they are not going to have the $3 1/2 billion for the international mail-in votes, how do you have those votes?"
"What [it] would imply is the people might need to go to the polls and vote like the old times, like two decades ago, three years back. ... It does not say anyone is taking away the vote, but it usually means the universal mail-ins don't get the job done," Trump said.
Pressed on what that means for Americans who would be hesitant to vote in public for fear of the coronavirus, Trump said:"They are going to get to feel secure, and they'll be safe. And we'll make sure they're safe, and we're not going to have to invest $3 1/2 billion to do it."
"What [negotiators] are stating is different than what the president is saying," she explained. "If they came in the room and said that the president is never doing so, that is something we'd take to the American people. And the American men and women want the Postal Service protected and maintained."
"So [many] of the Democratic asks are extremely liberal, abandoned wish lists -- voting rights and aid to aliens and so forth," Kudlow told CNBC on Thursday. "That is not our game, and the president can not accept that sort of deal."
Pelosi told reporters the $25 billion registered for the Postal Service in the HEROES Act is a figure recommended by the board of governors of the Postal Service. She worried that Americans rely on the Postal Service to provide, among other things, prescription drugs and paychecks to employees.
Biden campaign claims Trump"sabotaging a Simple service"
The campaign of the Democratic presumptive presidential nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden, quickly responded to Trump's interview, calling his aims that an"attack on democracy."
"The president of the usa is sabotaging a fundamental service which hundreds of millions of individuals rely upon, cutting on a crucial lifeline for rural economies and for delivery of medicines, because he would like to deprive Americans of their fundamental right to vote safely throughout the most catastrophic public health catastrophe in over 100 years -- a catastrophe so devastatingly worsened by his own failed leadership that we're now the hardest hit country in the world by the coronavirus pandemic," Biden effort spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement.
It is not the first time this week that the president has lambasted voting by email.
On Wednesday, he committed a considerable quantity of time during his daily briefing with colleagues to denounce some plans for further funding to encourage the Postal Service.
"They need to take it nationally -- mail-in voting. It is likely to be the best fraud in the history of elections. When you always speak about Russia, Russia, Russia and China, Iran on voting -- the biggest problem is going to be with all the Democrats, not with China, Russia and Iran," he explained.
Experts have estimated that as many as 70% of votes might be cast by mail in this election cycle due to disruptions due to the pandemic. This estimate has raised questions about the long-beleaguered Postal Service, which was losing money well ahead of the COVID-19 tragedy and has been put to an even more difficult position.
Trump asserted in his Fox Business interview that there's"nothing wrong with getting out and unemployment," citing people who did so during World War I and II, but health experts said that voting by email could reduce people's exposure and spread from the coronavirus.
Election watchdogs denounced Trump's latest comments. "Defunding the Postal Service and slowing its capacity to deliver mail ballots to Americans will hurt Democratic and Republican voters equally."
"President Trump made clear now that he is intentionally sabotaging the U.S. Post Office and blocking election funds to suppress Americans' votes. This action is a disgrace and a blot on our democracy," it stated.
While Trump has railed against mail-in voting, falsely claiming it leads to rampant fraud, even during his regular briefing to reporters Thursday, he said he would not veto a coronavirus relief bill just because it included support to the Postal Service. But he continued to push the unsubstantiated claim that widespread voting by mail would cause an abuse of the system.
"We need people to vote, but we want people to vote so when they vote it means one vote," Trump said.
"I am not doing this for almost any reason," Trump said, speaking to his push to deny the agency funds. "Perhaps the other turns out to be my advantage. I really don't know, I can not tell you that. However, I do know this: I simply need an accurate vote."
Trump was reacting to questions regarding remarks in a Thursday morning interview with Fox Business Network's Maria Bartiromo, who had asked why the White House and congressional Democrats are still miles apart on approving a fresh relief bargain.
Trump said one major factor is the Democrats' drive for an injection of funds in the Postal Service to enlarge voting by mail.
"They [the Democrats] want $3 1/2 billion for something that'll prove to be fraudulent -- that's election cash essentially," Trump said.
Continued the president"They need $25 billion for the post office. They need that money in order to get the post office function so it may take each these countless millions of ballots. In the meantime, they aren't getting there. But if they do not get those 2 things, then that means that you can't have worldwide mail-in voting since they are not equipped to have it."
Eight states are mailing ballots to all active voters this fall, including five that have been doing so for decades, but most states are not running what Trump calls universal mail-in voting.
Trump continued:"If we don't make a bargain, that means they do not get the money
. That means they can't have worldwide mail-in voting. They just can't have it"
Throughout his Thursday briefing to reporters, Trump insisted that stance, saying:"We have to have an honest election, and if it's not likely to become an honest election, I guess people have to sit and think very long and hard about it."
"If they're not going to approve a statement, and also the post office, therefore, won't have the cash, and if they are not going to approve a significant bill -- a larger bill -- and they are not going to have the $3 1/2 billion for the international mail-in votes, how do you have those votes?"
"What [it] would imply is the people might need to go to the polls and vote like the old times, like two decades ago, three years back. ... It does not say anyone is taking away the vote, but it usually means the universal mail-ins don't get the job done," Trump said.
Pressed on what that means for Americans who would be hesitant to vote in public for fear of the coronavirus, Trump said:"They are going to get to feel secure, and they'll be safe. And we'll make sure they're safe, and we're not going to have to invest $3 1/2 billion to do it."
"What [negotiators] are stating is different than what the president is saying," she explained. "If they came in the room and said that the president is never doing so, that is something we'd take to the American people. And the American men and women want the Postal Service protected and maintained."
"So [many] of the Democratic asks are extremely liberal, abandoned wish lists -- voting rights and aid to aliens and so forth," Kudlow told CNBC on Thursday. "That is not our game, and the president can not accept that sort of deal."
Pelosi told reporters the $25 billion registered for the Postal Service in the HEROES Act is a figure recommended by the board of governors of the Postal Service. She worried that Americans rely on the Postal Service to provide, among other things, prescription drugs and paychecks to employees.
Biden campaign claims Trump"sabotaging a Simple service"
The campaign of the Democratic presumptive presidential nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden, quickly responded to Trump's interview, calling his aims that an"attack on democracy."
"The president of the usa is sabotaging a fundamental service which hundreds of millions of individuals rely upon, cutting on a crucial lifeline for rural economies and for delivery of medicines, because he would like to deprive Americans of their fundamental right to vote safely throughout the most catastrophic public health catastrophe in over 100 years -- a catastrophe so devastatingly worsened by his own failed leadership that we're now the hardest hit country in the world by the coronavirus pandemic," Biden effort spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement.
It is not the first time this week that the president has lambasted voting by email.
On Wednesday, he committed a considerable quantity of time during his daily briefing with colleagues to denounce some plans for further funding to encourage the Postal Service.
"They need to take it nationally -- mail-in voting. It is likely to be the best fraud in the history of elections. When you always speak about Russia, Russia, Russia and China, Iran on voting -- the biggest problem is going to be with all the Democrats, not with China, Russia and Iran," he explained.
Experts have estimated that as many as 70% of votes might be cast by mail in this election cycle due to disruptions due to the pandemic. This estimate has raised questions about the long-beleaguered Postal Service, which was losing money well ahead of the COVID-19 tragedy and has been put to an even more difficult position.
Trump asserted in his Fox Business interview that there's"nothing wrong with getting out and unemployment," citing people who did so during World War I and II, but health experts said that voting by email could reduce people's exposure and spread from the coronavirus.
Election watchdogs denounced Trump's latest comments. "Defunding the Postal Service and slowing its capacity to deliver mail ballots to Americans will hurt Democratic and Republican voters equally."
"President Trump made clear now that he is intentionally sabotaging the U.S. Post Office and blocking election funds to suppress Americans' votes. This action is a disgrace and a blot on our democracy," it stated.