Trump Hints at Executive Order on Mail Voting

President Trump escalated his criticism of mail balloting in a big way on Monday, first in a press conference in which he hinted at using executive action to curtail it and also in an interview. Coverage:

• Two months: In a sit-down with Axios on HBO, Trump said widespread mail voting would lead to chaos. "You know, you could have a case where this election won't be decided on the evening of Nov. 3. This election could be decided two months later." He added: "Lots of things will happen during that period of time. Especially when you have tight margins. Lots of things can happen. There's never been anything like this."
• Executive order: At his White House press conference Monday, Trump said some kind of executive order on mail voting is within his authority. “I have the right to do it," he said, per Politico. "We haven't gotten there yet, we'll see what happens.” Trump didn't provide specifics about what is under consideration.

• Nevada: Trump also said the White House would sue Nevada after lawmakers there passed a bill to provide mail ballots to every voter ahead of the election, reports Reuters. “We will be suing in Nevada. And that’s already been taken care of, we’ll probably file something tomorrow,” he said.
• The evidence: Trump continued to assert that mail balloting is vulnerable to fraud, while news stories (including this one at the AP) continue to assert that he has no evidence to back that up. Politico calls cases of fraud "exceedingly rare" but adds that mail voting might have higher risks if proper safeguards are not in place.
• A GOP worry: The Washington Post reports that GOP leaders around the US are worried about an unintended consequence of the president's campaign against mail voting—his supporters are refusing to embrace the practice. "As a result, state and local Republicans across the country fear they are falling dramatically behind in a practice that is expected to be key to voter turnout this year," write Amy Gardner and Josh Dawsey.

(More mail voting stories.)