Republicans shoot down Trump's idea of delaying the election: 'He can't do it'
President Trump's idea of delaying the presidential election is being quickly shot down by Republicans in Congress.
Trump in a tweet on Thursday once again baselessly suggested mail-in voting will lead to widespread voter fraud this November and floated the possibility of delaying the election, though that's not something he has the power to do and would require action from Congress. But in Congress, prominent Republicans certainly weren't on board.
"I do not support delaying the November election," Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) tweeted, while Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) told CNN Trump's suggestion is one that likely won't get "any serious traction," and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) also told CNN, "Never in the history of federal elections have we ever not held an election and we should go forward with our election."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
One Republican, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), even speculated that Trump wasn't being serious with the tweet and only wrote it "so all you guys in the press, your heads will explode," per CNN. Cornyn added, "I don't know what his motivation is. He can't do it."
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas.) also told CNN that "no, the election should not be delayed," and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said in an interview with WNKY, "Never in the history of the country, through wars, depressions, and the Civil War, have we ever not had a federally scheduled election on time, and we'll find a way to do that again this Nov. 3."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
- 
Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariffSpeed Read Five Senate Republicans joined the Democrats in rebuking Trump’s import tax
 - 
Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICESpeed Read Half of the new ICE directors are reportedly from DHS’s more aggressive Customs and Border Protection branch
 - 
Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff
 - 
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
 - 
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
 - 
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
 - 
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
 - 
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
 



