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.
But, Kraushaar also said that if Trump's Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, picks up just one of North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, or Arizona, the Trump team's efforts will probably fall flat, and Axios' report indicates Trump's advisers believe he'll need to have commanding leads in all four, plus Iowa, Texas, and Ohio, to pull it off. Read more at Axios. Tim O'Donnell
Subscribe to 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.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.