WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - President Donald Trump's call for delaying the U.S. presidential election met with stiff resistence from Republican party's top brass as well as Democrats.
Trump made the suggestion on Twitter Thursday, saying that postal voting could lead to fraud and inaccurate results.
At a White House news conference in the afternoon, Trump tried to dilute the intensity of his statement.
'I don't want to delay, I want to have the election. But I also don't want to have to wait for three months and then find out that the ballots are all missing and the election doesn't mean anything,' he told reporters.
Trump warned that 'This election will be the most rigged election in history,' and it is to avoid a 'crooked election' that he put forward the suggestion.
Trump had previously opposed mail-in voting but he could not substantiate his claims.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy both dismissed Trump's idea.
'Never in the history of this country, through wars, depressions and the Civil War, have we ever not had a federally scheduled election on time. We will find a way to do that again this November third,' McConnel told Kentucky television station WNKY.
'Never in the history of the federal elections have we ever not held an election and we should go forward with our election,' said McCarthy.
A delayed election was 'not a good idea,' according to Trump confidante Sen Lindsay Graham.
The Washington Post quoted a constitutional expert as saying that the president has no power to postpone the election date, but could legally claim emergency powers to prevent people from voting.
Any delay in presidential election would have to be approved by both houses of U.S. Congress, which should also pass a constitutional amendment to that effect.
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