Rashida Tlaib Rages over Trump’s Opposition to Vote-by-Mail: ‘President Incompetent’

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) on Wednesday raged over President Trump’s opposition to states, like Michigan, moving toward vote-by-mail for the general election, accusing him of wanting to “oppress people and suppress the vote” while “endangering people’s lives.”

“Nah, President Incompetent. Michigan promotes democracy without jeopardizing people’s health. You would rather oppress people and suppress the vote (per usual),” Tlaib said in reaction to Trump’s Wednesday morning tweet, threatening to punish Michigan for mailing absentee ballot applications to all state voters.

“Oh, and endangering people’s lives seems to be your approach to a pandemic. We won’t be following that method,” she added:

Nah, President Incompetent.

Michigan promotes democracy without jeopardizing people's health. You would rather oppress people and suppress the vote (per usual).

Oh, and endangering people's lives seems to be your approach to a pandemic. We won't be following that method. https://t.co/lFAWhX5uG5

— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) May 20, 2020

Michigan’s Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced on Tuesday the state would send ballot applications, specifically, to voters in the state — a decision that prompted reaction from the president:

Breaking: Michigan sends absentee ballots to 7.7 million people ahead of Primaries and the General Election. This was done illegally and without authorization by a rogue Secretary of State. I will ask to hold up funding to Michigan if they want to go down this Voter Fraud path!..

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 20, 2020

Benson claimed the move would ensure “that no Michigander has to choose between their health and their right to vote,” praising vote-by-mail as “easy, convenient, safe, and secure.”

The news comes as blue states move to implement vote-by-mail for their respective primaries, and ultimately the general election, citing coronavirus related concerns.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) essentially led the charge, authorizing vote-by-mail for November’s election — a move failed Trump challenger Hillary Clinton praised heavily:

I hope other governors around the country follow @GavinNewsom’s lead. No voter should be forced to choose between their safety and exercising their civic duty this fall. https://t.co/kNkSQ5quw8

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) May 8, 2020

Democrats have been attempting to use the fears surrounding the Chinese coronavirus to implement policy agenda items, like ballot harvesting and vote by mail. Many of them have been pointing to Wisconsin as a point of reference, which charged ahead with holding its in-person April 7 primary during the pandemic.

However, the example does not provide compelling evidence to institute vote-by-mail. Out of 413,000 individuals who showed up to the polls April 7, only a few dozen later tested positive for the virus, and some of them indicated other ways that they may have contracted the illness.

Even so, the data indicates an infection rate below two-hundredths of one percent.