News / Politics

Bernie Sanders: 'Trump may be crazy, but he's not stupid'

Friday, 14 August 2020 3:13 PM [ Last Update: Friday, 14 August 2020 3:13 PM ]

US Senator Bernie Sanders (AFP photo)

US President Donald Trump's attacks on voting by mail during the coronavirus crisis and his opposition to giving additional funds to the beleaguered United States Postal Service (USPS) are part of an effort to suppress voter turnout, according to Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

Sanders, the longtime Vermont senator and former Democratic presidential candidate, said on Thursday that Trump is not giving additional funds to the USPS because he thinks it will allow Democrats to expand mail-in voting for November's elections.

"What this is about is not complicated," Sanders said on CNN while discussing Trump's rhetoric on mail-in voting. "Trump may be crazy, but he's not stupid. And he looks at polling. He is behind. And I think what he and his friends believe [is] that if they can suppress the vote — make it harder for people to vote — they have a better chance to win the election."

Earlier in the day, Trump said that he opposes funding for the Postal Service because he doesn't want to see it used for mail-in voting this November.

"They want $25 billion for the post office. Now, they need that money in order to have the post office work so it can take all of these millions and millions of ballots," Trump said. "Now in the meantime, they aren't getting there. By the way, those are just two items. But if they don't get those two items that means you can't have universal mail-in voting, because they're not equipped to have it."

Trump has suggested he could sign an executive order about the mail-in voting in the 2020 presidential race, arguing he has the authority to do so while reiterating his allegations about election fraud.

Biden slams Trump's 'bald-faced lies' about mail-in voting as pre. suggests election postponement

US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden says President Donald Trump is telling "bald-faced lies" about voting by mail to distract from his own failures.

The US president has repeatedly denounced the practice as several states look to expand mail-in ballots for the November election amid concerns about the coronavirus.

Trump has claimed increased mail voting would be rife with fraud, remarks that have deepened Democrats' fears that he will refuse to accept the election outcome should he lose.

Trump has also suggested the November 3 election could be postponed, an idea immediately rejected by Democrats and his fellow Republicans in Congress.

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