Trump: Democrats Trying to Exploit Coronavirus for Vote-by-Mail ‘Scam’

President Donald Trump said Sunday that Democrats are attempting to use the Chinese coronavirus pandemic to push mail-in ballot plans for the November election, warning the move will lead to “the greatest Rigged Election in history.”

“The United States cannot have all Mail In Ballots. It will be the greatest Rigged Election in history. People grab them from mailboxes, print thousands of forgeries and “force” people to sign,” the president wrote. “Also, forge names. Some absentee OK, when necessary. Trying to use Covid for this Scam”:

The United States cannot have all Mail In Ballots. It will be the greatest Rigged Election in history. People grab them from mailboxes, print thousands of forgeries and “force” people to sign. Also, forge names. Some absentee OK, when necessary. Trying to use Covid for this Scam!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 24, 2020

Trump’s warning comes as Democrat governors have moved to enact vote-by-mail proposals across the country, citing concerns stemming from the Chinese coronavirus pandemic. In early May, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed an executive order permitting all registered voters in the state to vote by mail in the upcoming presidential election. On Tuesday, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced that all Michigan voters will receive an application to vote by mail so “no Michigander has to choose between their health and their right to vote.”

In response to Benson’s announcement, Trump threatened to withhold funding from Michigan, saying the move was done “illegally and without authorization by a rogue Secretary of State.”

“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!” the president wrote.

In addition to Michigan, Trump threatened to block funding to Nevada over its mail-in voting plan, calling it “illegal.”

“State of Nevada ‘thinks’ that they can send out illegal vote by mail ballots, creating a great Voter Fraud scenario for the State and the U.S. They can’t! If they do, ‘I think’ I can hold up funds to the State. Sorry, but you must not cheat in elections,” the president wrote.

As Breitbart News reported:

Recent data has not shown a compelling public health justification for vote-by-mail. Wisconsin is one of the only U.S. states that held its primary election with in-person voting after the nation’s coronavirus lockdowns began. Only a few dozen people at maximum were confirmed to have contracted the virus after participating either as voters or poll workers, and none of those cases were fatal. Out of the 413,000 participants, that equals an infection rate below two-hundredths of one percent. Just days later, South Korea held national elections which did not result in any new coronavirus cases.

Trump’s Sunday tweet came as former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democrat nominee, asserted that there was “no evidence whatsoever” that mail-in voting is plagued by fraud.

“I will tell you what, you mean Trump fraud? Look, he’s sitting in the White House filling out absentee ballots to vote in a primary in Florida. Now, why is it not fraud when he does it, and anyone else would do it? There’s no evidence whatsoever,” Biden told WISN’s Up Front.

“We ought to be able to make sure that we have ballot by mail, early voting, and in-person voting,” he added. “You’re able to do that if, in fact, you have enough poll workers ahead of time, they’re trained, and scientists come in and tell you how you sanitize a polling place so people can still vote.”