Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) says Americans will likely face âobstaclesâ to voting, but is encouraging them to âpress on in what is the most important election of our lifetime.â
During an appearance on ABCâs âGood Morning Americaâ on Wednesday, Booker was asked if he is âconvincedâ that the presidential election will be fair.
âWell, I think that weâve already seen a president do things that are unprecedented, and itâs not Barack Obama giving a critic of Donald Trump,â Book responded. âItâs Donald Trump doing everything from turning armed forces on peaceful protesters in front of Lafayette Square.â
âDonald Trump attacking the postal service the way he is in the days before an election. This is a time where weâve seen so many norms trashed by this president,â he added.
Booker said there is a âcredible beliefâ that Americaâs democracy is being âstress tested like it never has before.â
âAnd so there may be dirty tricks from this president, weâre already seeing right now, again, with the post office,â Booker said.
Still, he encouraged Americans not to be deterred by potential obstacles to voting, âI learned from parents and grandparents that obstacles will always be put up. But our determination to surmount them is whatâs important. And so I hope Americans are not deterred and press on in what is the most important election of our lifetime.â
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President Donald Trump has been accused of âsabotaging our Democracy,â as IJR reported. Congressional Democrats have raised concerns that the president is trying to bleed the postal service of funds to hamper its ability to deliver mail-in ballots on time to be counted in the November election.
During an appearance on NBCâs âMeet The Pressâ on Sunday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said, âI happen to think, as you know, Trump is a pathological liar. He lies all of the time. But, I gotta say, I gotta admit, the other day he was very honest.â
âHe said, âLook, we want to kill mail-in balloting. We donât want millions and millions of people to be able to cast their ballots through the mail. So weâll destroy the Postal Service, weâll defund it. They canât vote,'â he continued.
Sanders was referring to comments made by Trump, where he appeared to suggest that he was opposed to funding to the postal service because that would allow âuniversal mail-in voting.â
In an interview on Fox Business, Trump said, âThey want $25 billion for the post office. Now, they need that money in order to have the post office work so it could take all of these millions and millions of ballots.â
âNow, in the meantime, they arenât getting there. By the way, those are just two items. But if they donât get those two items, that means you canât have universal mail-in voting, because theyâre not equipped to have it,â he added.
For his part, Trump has denied that he is trying to sabotage the postal service to help his electoral prospects, as IJR reported.
âNo, Iâm just making it good,â he said when asked about claims that he was trying to sabotage the postal service. âI jokingly say, but itâs true, I want to make the post office great again. OK?â
