Donald Trump vows to challenge vote counting
Washington: With the US Presidential elections scheduled for Tuesday, President Donald Trump held rallies in battleground states of Michigan, Iowa and North Caroline and planned stops in Georgia and Florida. Biden made an appearance in the closely contested state of Pennsylvania. Biden is set to close his campaign in Pittsburgh where he made his maiden campaign appearance in April 2019.
After attacking the main-in ballot system throughout his campaign, Trump says that he is gearing up for legal challenges in the counting of mail and absentee votes in Pennsylvania. "I think it is a terrible thing when ballots can be collected after an election.
I think it is a terrible thing when people or states are allowed to tabulate ballots for a long period of time after the election is over because it can only lead to one thing," Trump said. "We are going in the night of — as soon as the election is over — we are going in with our lawyers," he added.
In the national polls, Trump continues to trail with a 42% chance as compared to a 51% of Biden, according to the latest Reuters poll. Similarly, a New York Times poll showed Joe Biden holding a clear advantage over 4 important swing states- Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Florida and Arizona. Biden's electoral position appears to put him in a stronger position than any presidential candidate since 2008.
Meanwhile, Indian-American supporters of both President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden on Sunday intensified their campaigns, particularly in battle ground states, asking the community members to get out and vote and support their respective leaders.
Trump is suggesting that he will fire Dr Anthony Fauci after Tuesday's election, as his rift with the nation's top infectious disease expert widens while the nation sees its most alarming outbreak of the coronavirus since the spring.
Speaking at a campaign rally in Opa-locka, Florida, Trump expressed frustration that the surging cases of the virus that has killed more than 231,000 people in the United States this year remains prominent in the news, sparking chants of "Fire Fauci" from his supporters.
"Don't tell anybody but let me wait until a little bit after the election", Trump replied to thousands of supporters early Monday, adding he appreciated their "advice."
The US President has denied that he is planning to prematurely declare victory after the presidential polls are over on Tuesday and hinted that he is gearing up for a legal battle against a vote count that stretched past Election Day.
"No, no that was a false report," Trump told reporters on Sunday at the Charlotte airport in North Carolina amidst a news report that he is planning to prematurely declare victory on the election night.
Americans have rushed to vote early, already casting nearly 92 million mail-in ballots that could take days or weeks to be counted in some states - meaning a winner might not be declared in the hours after polls close on Tuesday.
Trump indicated that his team was gearing up for a legal battle.
Trump lamented Supreme Court's rulings that allowed for Pennsylvania and North Carolina to count absentee ballots that are postmarked before Election Day but arrive shortly after Tuesday. "I think it is a terrible thing when ballots can be collected after an election. I think it is a terrible thing when people or states are allowed to tabulate ballots for a long period of time after the election is over because it can only lead to one thing," Trump said.