Trump is reportedly planning to declare Election Day victory if ahead regardless of uncounted votes
President Trump has told confidants he'll declare victory on Tuesday night if he's leading the election, three sources familiar with his private comments told Axios' Jonathan Swan. Trump will reportedly stick to that plan even if there are still uncounted votes in crucial states like Pennsylvania that could alter the shape of the Electoral College in subsequent hours or days.
The "nightmare scenario" that would require careful coverage from networks, as National Journal's Josh Kraushaar sees it, involves Trump sweeping the Sun Belt swing states and leading in Pennsylvania on election night. Many prognosticators expect Trump to be leading the Keystone State on Tuesday, but the final outcome could change as mail-in ballots, which Axios notes the Trump campaign could falsely try to deem illegitimate, are counted after Nov. 3. So, there's a chance that scenario comes to fruition.
But, Kraushaar also said that if Trump's Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, picks up just one of North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, or Arizona, the Trump team's efforts will probably fall flat, and Axios' report indicates Trump's advisers believe he'll need to have commanding leads in all four, plus Iowa, Texas, and Ohio, to pull it off. Read more at Axios.
The nightmare scenario is that Trump sweeps the Sun Belt states and then claims victory in Pennsylvania based on only E Day votes. Clarity in coverage will be very important.
But if Biden wins NC/FL/GA or AZ later, this lame attempt at vote spin will be moot. https://t.co/F7UKccnYwO
— Josh Kraushaar (@HotlineJosh) November 1, 2020
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