President Trump Threatens ‘Rogue’ States Working Toward ‘Vote by Mail’

As the 2020 election approaches, in the midst of a global pandemic no less, there are concerns that COVID-19 and the precautions that come with it could affect voter turnout here in the United States.  This is particularly worrisome as some experts warn that the novel strain of coronavirus that causes the deadly illness could see a resurgence in the coming months, just as many viral pandemics have done before.

Voting is one of the most important duties that we as self-governing Americans have, and as such, it must be protected from even the most vile of viral villains.  In an effort to make sure that every vote is counted, many states and municipalities are eyeing the possibility of voting by mail – something that President Trump and a number of prominent Republicans have expressed concerns about in terms of possible voter fraud.

Now, as some states take steps to institute their own mail-in backup plans, the Commander in Chief is warning them that this is not something that he’ll abide by quietly.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced Tuesday that all registered voters in the crucial general election battleground state will be mailed an application to vote by mail in November so they do not have to risk exposure to the coronavirus by going out to the polls.

Trump was not a fan of the decision.

“Breaking: Michigan sends absentee ballots to 7.7 million people ahead of Primaries and the General Election. This was done illegally and without authorization by a rogue Secretary of State,” Trump tweeted Wednesday morning. “I will ask to hold up funding to Michigan if they want to go down this Voter Fraud path!”

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has already been at odds with the far right segments of the Republican Party on account of her “draconian” lockdown measures, and her name has been frequently mentioned as a short-list candidate for the presently undecided VP slot on the Biden ticket for 2020.

But Whitmer wasn’t the only one taking heat from Trump:

“State of Nevada ‘thinks’ that they can send out illegal vote by mail ballots, creating a great Voter Fraud scenario for the State and the U.S.,” Trump tweeted. “They can’t! If they do, ‘I think’ I can hold up funds to the State. Sorry, but you must not cheat in elections.”

While the coronavirus pandemic slowly but surely fades, one can only imagine that these tweets will prompt and uptick in cases of Trump Derangement Syndrome.