In a wide-ranging interview with “Fox & Friends,” Trump claimed that the infrastructure is not there for such a large-scale operation.

“It could be for months and months,” Trump said about how long it may take for votes to be counted. “It could be for years.”

The president pointed to a congressional primary election in New York that has resulted in weeks of vote-counting after voters mailed in their ballots.

TRUMP CAMPAIGN SUES NEVADA OVER MAIL-IN VOTING PLAN

Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee filed a lawsuit against Nevada on Tuesday, claiming that the state’s expanded mail-in voting plan would expose the election to fraud.

“What they’re going to do is blanket the state,” Trump said Wednesday. “Everyone who ever walked is going to get one.”

Republicans have expressed concern that this would result in ballots being sent to dead people, those who have moved, and others who are currently not eligible to vote.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has claimed that “Republican sabotage” of the U.S. Postal Service is part of Trump’s strategy to stand in the way of mail-in voting. Trump said Clinton is “living in a cocoon” and still has not accepted the results of the 2016 election.

Trump did differentiate between sending ballots to all voters and allowing people to apply for absentee ballots.

TRUMP ENCOURAGES FLORIDA TO VOTE BY MAIL, CALLS SYSTEM ‘SAFE AND SECURE’

“Absentee is OK because you have to go through a process,” Trump said. On Tuesday, the president encouraged Florida voters to vote by mail, stating that the system there is both safe and secure.

“They have an infrastructure that’s taken years to build,” Trump said about Florida’s mail-in voting system.

Democrats are insisting that mail-in voting be made available so that people do not have to put themselves at risk of catching or spreading coronavirus at the polls. When asked what his administration will do to make in-person voting safer — especially for at-risk senior citizens — Trump expressed hope that the situation will be better by then.

MAIL-IN VOTING FACES SLEW OF ISSUES NATIONWIDE, AS EMERGENCY USPS MEMO SOUNDS ALARM

“By the time we get there we’ll probably be in very good shape,” he said, stating that numbers are declining in states like Florida, California, and Texas. At the same time, Trump recognized that “you could have a second wave.”

Addressing upcoming debates against Democrat Joe Biden, Trump said he is “ready to debate,” but lamented that the first debate is scheduled for late September after some ballots will already have been sent out to voters.

The president also indicated that Biden’s team is “trying to get out” of the debates, although he acknowledged that Biden himself has never said this. Biden’s campaign insists the candidate will be at the debates, despite the GOP speculation

Trump also said that Biden has been “totally taken in” by radical leftists, pointing to his Unity Task Force that he formed with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.

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Biden’s wife Jill told Fox News on Tuesday that her husband is a moderate, not the far-left candidate Trump’s campaign is making him out to be.

“Joe Biden is whatever they tell him to be,” Trump said in response to this.

The post Trump, in ‘Fox & Friends’ interview, warns it could take years to get election results with mass-mailed ballots first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

“Unfortunately, Democrats are using this as an opportunity to sow division and scare the American people,” claimed McDaniel on Fox Nation’s “Reality Check with David Webb.”

Webb pointed to Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders’ recent call to make any future coronavirus vaccine available to Americans for free, as evidence of the president’s critics politicizing a public health emergency.

“Of course, that means you’ll have to wait till January 2021 when he’s inaugurated,” said Webb.

“They’ve tried everything. It’s Russian collusion, obstruction obsession, go on and on. Ukraine, you name it. To weaponize people’s health, is this a new low for Democrats?” asked Webb.

“Absolutely,” McDaniel argued. “And to try and stoke the fears of Americans and to push frenzy into the marketplace is not good for our country. This is a time where we should be united. Get the facts to the American people, make sure that we’re putting their health and safety first, but working across party lines, the president’s willing to do that.”

McDaniel observed that Trump ordered proactive, protective measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus two months ago and he was criticized for it.

CORONAVIRUS KILLS BRITISH DIAMOND PRINCESS CRUISE PASSENGER, REPORTS SAY

“[Trump’s] taken courageous steps like he did when he shut the ports down in January,” said McDaniel, “which at the time Joe Biden said that was racist and xenophobic, shutting them down to China, shutting down air travel to China.”

On Jan. 31, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced that some non-U.S. citizens who had traveled to China in the prior two weeks were barred from entering the U.S.

On that same day, former Vice President Joe Biden was addressing the coronavirus outbreak during a campaign rally in Iowa and said, “This is no time for Donald Trump’s record of hysteria and xenophobia – hysterical xenophobia – and fearmongering to lead the way instead of science.”

Some commentators have argued that it is unclear if Biden was specifically referencing the Trump administration’s travel restrictions.

“Dr. Fauci has said that [the travel restrictions] absolutely limited the spread of this virus through this country,” said McDaniel, in reference to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

“I do think it’s reassuring to see someone like Dr. Fauci, who has worked with many administrations, including under President Obama, coming forward and saying this administration has taken the steps necessary and let’s communicate to the public the real concerns that they should have and the precautions they should take,” she continued.

McDaniel also argued that it was House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s decision to add nearly $6 billion to a coronavirus spending bill that Trump signed last week.

“Democrats are going to use this to their political advantage,” she said. “With President Trump’s election, they have tried at every turn to try and undermine his presidency and to do it now at this time when people are afraid because this is a new virus… I think is a new low for the Democrat Party.”

To see all of “Reality Check,” visit Fox Nation and sign up today.

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/media/coronavirus-democrats-division-fear-rnc-chairwoman

The post RNC chairwoman: Democrats using coronavirus to ‘sow division’ and ‘scare’ the American people first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

To chants of “USA,” Trump took the stage after brief remarks by Vice President Mike Pence and first lady Melania Trump and recalled his unlikely rise to power.

“We stared down the unholy alliance of lobbyists and donors and special interests who made a living bleeding our country dry,” Trump said. “The swamp is fighting back so viciously and violently. For the last two and a half years, we have been under siege.”

And after polling the boisterous crowd, Trump appeared to settle on a new campaign slogan: “Keep America Great.”

He went on to tout the economy and the planned Space Force, celebrate the “obliteration” of ISIS, and declare that “Republicans believe that every life is a sacred gift from God” amid a newly energized national pro-life movement.

Just over four years ago, Trump descended through the pink marble and brass atrium of Trump Tower to announce his candidacy for president, the first step on a journey few analysts believed would take him all the way to the White House.

This time, thousands of Trump supporters arrived more than 40 hours in advance to secure a spot in the Amway Center, despite sweltering heat. Some had been camped in chairs for several nights.

Trump told attendees he had begun not only a “great political campaign but a great movement” committed to the idea that a government must “care for its own citizens first.”

He called his election that year as a “defining moment in American history” — and then directed the crowd to “ask them, right there,” referring to the media assembled in the back, which many in the crowd jeered.

In one of the most dramatic moments of the rally, Trump charged that Democrats want a “do-over” of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report — and then, his voice approaching a shout, Trump blasted Democrats’ apparent lack of interest in misconduct within their party.

Supporters of President Trump waiting in line hours before the arena doors opened Tuesday in Orlando. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

“Our patriotic movement has been under assault from the very first day,” Trump said. He specifically called out the “phony” dossier used by the FBI to secure a secret surveillance warrant to surveil one of his former aides, Carter Page.

After Trump noted that the dossier was funded by the Hillary Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee (DNC), the crowd again broke into a chant, this time cheering, “Lock her up.”

“If you want to know how the system is rigged, just look at how they came at us for three years with everything they had, versus the free pass they gave to Hillary and her aides after they set up an illegal server, destroyed evidence, deleted and acid-washed 33,000 emails, exposed classified information, and turned the State Department into a pay-for-play cash machine,” Trump said, his voice rising with the crowd’s.

“Lock her up,” the crowd responded again.

DOJ REACHED DEAL WITH CLINTON LAWYERS TO KEEP CLINTON FOUNDATION EMAILS FROM FBI

“33,000 emails deleted, think of it!” Trump said. “You know, there was a lot of corruption on the other side. But, you know, they get a subpoena from the United States Congress, and they decide they’re not gonna give it, so, Lindsey Graham, they delete and they acid wash — which is very expensive, nobody does it — those emails, never to be seen again!

“But we may find them again somewhere deep in the State Department,” Trump mused. “Can you imagine if I got a subpoena? Think of this — if I deleted one email, like a love note to Melania, it’s the electric chair for Trump.”

STATE DEPT INVESTIGATION FINDS ‘MULTIPLE’ SECURITY VIOLATIONS UNDER CLINTON LEADERSHIP, AS PROBE CONTINUES

For the most part, the rally focused on Trump’s policy successes, on a range of matters including criminal justice reform and the economy.

“Our country is soaring to incredible new heights,” Trump asserted, to loud applause. “Our economy is the envy of the world, perhaps the greatest economy we’ve had in the history of our country, and as long as you keep this team in place — we have a tremendous way to go — our future has never, ever looked brighter or sharper.”

Trump continued: “The fact is, the American Dream is back. It’s bigger, and better, and stronger than ever before.”

The president emphasized his success in appointing federal judges, and lamented Democrats’ treatment of now-Justice Brett Kavanuagh, telling the crowd, “They didnt just try to win, they tried to destroy him with false and malicious accusations” in the name of “political dominance and control.”

Trump called Kavanaugh a “great gentleman” who is “highly respected” throughout the judiciary, and said Democrats also targeted his family. Kavanuagh, speaking to Fox News last year, said his wife had received numerous death threats.

“Just imagine what this angry left-wing mob would do if they were in charge of this country,” Trump said.

“We just finished [confirming judge] number 107, already approved, sitting on the bench — how about that?” Trump then asked. “By the time we’re finished with the rest, we will have record percentages [of judges appointed] — our percentage will be a record, except for one person. One person has a higher percentage … George Washington.”

At one point, outgoing Press Secretary Sarah Sanders took the stage, bringing the crowd to its feet.

“We want people to come into our country based on merit,” Trump said, after praising Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials as underappreciated heroes securing the border.

He went on to condemn “crazy” Bernie Sanders, and vowed again that America would “never” become a socialist country.

The festive and lively environment was evident both outside and inside the arena. Caps and shirts and mugs and ponchos were being hawked in corners far and wide in Orlando, with slogans ranging from “God, Guns and Trump” to “Trump’s Deplorables” to “Working to Defeat Liberals since 1854.”

“Think of this — if I deleted one email, like a love note to Melania, it’s the electric chair for Trump.”

— President Trump

“Bikers For Trump” volunteer security members managed traffic in and out of the rally areas as jubilant Trump devotees partied to a band while in line, occasionally breaking into “USA, USA” chants.

Others wandered the blocks around the venue urging people to sign a petition to “prevent voter fraud.”

“Only U.S. citizens should be able to vote,” explained Donny, a Jacksonville native. “That’s what we want in Florida.”

Joe Biden, the frontrunner among Democrats in both polling and fundraising, sought to blunt the momentum from the Tuesday launch shortly before Trump took the stage.

ON THE GROUND BEFORE TRUMP’S BIG RALLY, A CARNIVAL-LIKE ATMOSPHERE

“Donald Trump is launching his campaign for re-election tonight and the American people face a choice — we can make Trump an aberration or let him fundamentally and forever alter the character of this nation,” Biden Deputy Campaign Manager Kate Bedingfield said in a statement.

Hats and other merchandise were flying off the racks Tuesday afternoon in Orlando, ahead of Trump’s rally. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

“Our country cannot afford four more years of Trump diminishing America’s role on the world stage, cutting access to health care, ignoring the climate emergency that is an unprecedented threat to our national security, tearing children from their parents at the border, giving enormous new tax breaks to big corporations and the wealthy at the expense of working families, and dividing our country by embracing toxic bigotry and racism that’s antithetical to who we are,” Bedingfield added.

Sanders, meanwhile, hosted an “Ask Me Anything” open forum on Reddit on Tuesday. The self-described democratic socialist condemned what he called Trump’s “rejection of science,” and lamented the “incredible attacks against working families that have taken place under unfettered capitalism.”

Sanders, in a video response to Trump’s address later in the day, issued a series of personal insults. He called Trump a “racist” and “sexist,” among other attacks.

“The working class of this country has been decimated for decades by a coordinated attack from corporate America,” Sanders told one Reddit user. “Bad trade deals have allowed corporations to ship millions of jobs abroad, companies have bitterly resisted unionization and the minimum wage has not been raised for almost 10 years.”

Not all of the participants in Sanders’ Reddit event gave him a warm welcome, however, with some pointing out Sanders’ recent, dramatic rise to wealth.

“People like you have destroyed the working class by taking more of their taxes to fund a corporate-run utopia that never can exist,” one user replied. “Wealth is decided by the rarity of your skill set, not how hard you work, Mr. 3 mansions and an Audi R8.”

Trump is ahead of his Democrat rivals in key battleground states and “voters overall” support re-electing him, a Republican National Committee (RNC) memo obtained by Fox News claimed.  The memo came amid reports of the president struggling in polls putting him up against potential 2020 opponents, including Biden. A Fox News poll showed similar numbers.

But, according to the RNC, its own massive data operation told a different story. According to the committee’s numbers, Trump has a higher approval than disapproval rating in the battleground states of Ohio and Pennsylvania while a majority of Florida voters (53 percent) supported re-electing him.

Trump has an unprecedented $40.8 million in cash-on-hand, as of the start of the second quarter of fundraising on April 1. While that would be a massive war chest on its own, the Trump campaign, the Republican National Committee and their joint fundraising committees had a combined $82 million cash-on-hand going into the second quarter.

Fox News’ Mike Emanuel, Hollie McKay, Sam Dorman, Paul Steinhauser, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-launches-2020-re-election-campaign-orlando-arena

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