President Trump has told confidants he'll declare victory on Tuesday night if he's leading the election, three sources familiar with his private comments told Axios' Jonathan Swan. Trump will reportedly stick to that plan even if there are still uncounted votes in crucial states like Pennsylvania that could alter the shape of the Electoral College in subsequent hours or days.
The "nightmare scenario" that would require careful coverage from networks, as National Journal's Josh Kraushaar sees it, involves Trump sweeping the Sun Belt swing states and leading in Pennsylvania on election night. Many prognosticators expect Trump to be leading the Keystone State on Tuesday, but the final outcome could change as mail-in ballots, which Axios notes the Trump campaign could falsely try to deem illegitimate, are counted after Nov. 3. So, there's a chance that scenario comes to fruition.
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