Trump: 'We're Counting' On Federal Courts To Declare Election Night Winner
President Donald Trump said he is “counting on the federal court system” to ensure that the winner of the November presidential election is called just hours after the polls close, despite current rules across the country allowing ballots to be counted several days to weeks after the election.
“Now we’re counting on the federal court system to make it so that we can actually have an evening where we know who wins. Not where the votes are going to be counted a week later or two weeks later,” he said at a rally in North Carolina Saturday.
On the topic of the judicial system, Trump also shared his plans to nominate a new Supreme Court associate justice “next week” to fill Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat following her death on Friday.
There are fewer than 45 days until the Nov. 3 election, and it has taken about 68 days historically for a Supreme Court nominee to win confirmation in a vote on the Senate floor.
"We're gonna have a victory on November 3rd the likes of which you've never seen. Now we're counting on the federal court system to make it so we can actually have an evening where we know who wins" -- Trump pic.twitter.com/q5bfsJQb76
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 19, 2020
Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) called out Trump’s comments on Twitter, arguing that the president wants to “use the federal courts to cheat in November by denying Americans’ lawfully cast mail-in ballots.”
“This is an open admission that Trump hopes to use the Supreme Court to steal the election,” he added.
Trump’s comments came after several states extended the deadline to count mailed absentee ballots so long as they are postmarked either on or before Nov. 3.
A Michigan state judge ruled Friday that absentee ballots postmarked before Election Day can be counted up to 14 days after the election.
Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court similarly ruled Thursday that mailed ballots postmarked by 8 p.m. Election Day can be counted up to three days after the...
