Trump suggests postponing the election. Obviously this is not consistent with his stated belief that he’s actually ahead in the polls.
Even if he had the power to do that (he does not), it would not work out as he planned. His term of office expires in January, whether there is an election or not. That is also true of the House and 1/3 of the Senate.
The Constitution reads, “The terms of the President and the Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January.”
On January 20, with no President or Vice-President or Speaker of the House, the Chief Justice would swear in the Senate’s President Pro Tempore as the next President of the United States. Since the Senate would, at that time, have 35 Democrats and 30 Republicans, and since the position is elected by the Senate, the President would be a Democrat. By custom, the Senate has elected the longest-standing member of the majority party to the post, but that is not a legal or constitutional requirement. Given the unique hypothetical scenario, the most likely choices would be Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris. (Bernie is not well liked and is only kinda-sorta a Democrat, while Cory Booker would not be eligible since his term would have expired in this theoretical scenario.)
So even if Trump did manage to delay the election, he would most likely have the humiliating experience of watching the inauguration of his arch-enemy, President Pocahontas. (Or perhaps worse in his eyes, a woman of color!) Of course, they would only be able to hold office until the actual election is conducted, at which time the winner would be inaugurated.
I might also note that I don’t think either of those women would be particularly lenient in the pardon department when Trump is eventually sentenced for his crimes. I think they would not hesitate to ship him off to the calaboose. He’d be much better off taking his chances with President Joe Biden, who is a soft-hearted cuss.
NOTE #1: in some states the governor may appoint a replacement senator in the case of a vacancy. Therefore, the GOP might be able to hold on to the Senate, depending on the appointments between Jan 3 and Jan 20, in which case the new President of the USA would be the Republican President Pro Tempore of the Senate. Heaven only knows who they would choose.
NOTE #2: Various scholars argue that the states can proceed with House and Senate elections even if there is no Presidential option. In that case, the Speaker of the House of Representatives could become President. The House is under no legal or constitutional obligation to choose a member as its Speaker, so the temporary President of the USA could literally turn out to be anyone. It might be Pelosi, but it could even be Crooked Hillary! (If I were in the House, I might consider trying to get the body to elect James Comey as its Speaker! But that’s just me.)
Trump also has no idea what he is doing.
In today’s evening news, Trump again stated that mail-in voting would be a disaster and result in a fraudulent election. A reporter asked him why, then, he was not doing more to make sure the mail-in vote was honest and accurate. This was a bad way to ask the question, because it allowed Trump to snarl back “You don’t know what I’m doing!”. How true, how true.
Al Jaffe (I almost wrote Sam Jaffe) of Mad magazine used to write “Snappy answers to stupid questions”. Trump’s answer was BOTH snappy and stupid, and therefore more efficient, I guess.
By custom it would result in Grassley if the GOP controlled the Senate and Leahy if the Dems did.
I’m pretty sure neither of those would be the choices. Custom would be ignored.
McConnell would be ineligible since his term expired Jan 3. I’m not sure which of their many lunatics they would choose.
A) Trump wants us to re-open the schools for the entire school year right on schedule. But the election, which is a one day event three months later, needs to be postponed? That is some hardcore doublethink there.
B) Who will declare when it will be safe to hold the election? It will, of course, be Trump himself. That will work out great. For him.
C) It does not matter what is written. Trump has ignored laws for both his entire life and his entire Presidency. What matters is what people DO. Trump pretends that the Constitution gives him vast and hitherto unknown powers.
He has perverted the executive branch at the Cabinet level. He has appointed hundreds of Federal judges.
The Republicans in Congress do not dare to NOT support him. They will pretend that delaying the election is a temporary emergency. And like most such, it will easily become permanent. A number of state governors are slavish in their loyalty to him, and there already exists a powerful media machine that brays approval of his every act.
Trump is already forming his own personal police force / goon squad. So what are the facts on the ground, as opposed to on paper, going to be?