Trump is reportedly planning to declare Election Day victory if ahead regardless of uncounted votes


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.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Art review: Diane Arbus: Constellation
Feature Park Avenue Armory, New York City, through Aug. 17
-
July fiction: Summers to remember
Feature Featuring the latest summer-themed novels from Darrow Farr, Lucas Schaefer, and more
-
Why are flash floods in Texas so deadly?
Today's Big Question Over 100 people, including 27 girls at a summer camp, died in recent flooding
-
Trump U-turns on weapons to Ukraine
Speed Read Unhappy with Putin, Trump decides the US will go back to arming Ukraine against Russia's attacks
-
Ukraine scrambles as Trump cuts weapons deliveries
Speed Read The halting of weapons shipments was driven by Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby, a Ukraine funding skeptic
-
IAEA: Iran could enrich uranium 'within months'
Speed Read The chief United Nations nuclear inspector, Rafael Grossi, says Iran could be enriching uranium again soon
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?
today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
Iran nukes program set back months, early intel suggests
Speed Read A Pentagon assessment says US bombing of Iranian nuclear sites only set the program back by months, not years. This contradicts President Donald Trump's claim.
-
Trump says Iran and Israel agreed to ceasefire
Speed Read This followed a night of Israeli airstrikes on Tehran and multiple waves of missiles fired by Iran
-
Israel strikes Iran, killing military and nuclear chiefs
Speed Read Israeli officials said the attack was a 'preemptive' strike on Iran's nuclear program
-
Israel deports Thunberg after seizing Gaza aid boat
speed read The Swedish activist was delivering food and medical aid to Palestine, highlighting the growing humanitarian crisis there