Michael Moore: Donald Trump ‘Has To Be Fought Tooth And Nail’
In an interview with MSNBC broadcast on Friday, documentary filmmaker Michael Moore argued that President Donald Trump “has to be fought tooth and nail,” Mediaite reported.
Moore made the remarks during an appearance on The Beat with Ari Melber. The anchor began the discussion by pointing out that Trump has expressed opposition to mail-in voting, claiming that it is susceptible to fraud. The president has also made concrete moves to stop vote-by-mail initiatives, threatening to withhold federal funding from Michigan after the state expanded its mail-in voting program.
Moore responded that Trump “has to be fought tooth and nail.”
“There can be no compromise now,” the filmmaker continued, arguing that the president is prepared to do whatever it takes to win the 2020 presidential election.
“He is trying to do a number of things to make the election go in his favor, by rigging it, by trying to make it uncomfortable or uneasy,” Moore said.
Moore pointed to Trump’s attacks on the post office and his recent decision to fire inspector generals in various government agencies, warning that the president is “suggesting maybe we postpone the election” because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“We must not postpone the election. We must make it easy for every American to vote — and we must not be afraid of men carrying guns in our state capitols.”
Moore has previously argued that Trump is prepared to do all he can to sway the November election in his favor. In an interview on Thursday, he said that “there will be no Nov. 3 election if things keep going the way they’re going right now.”
According to the filmmaker, the COVID-19 pandemic is a “gift” to Trump because he could use it as an excuse to cancel the upcoming election. Moore also said that Trump — who “admires” dictators — realizes he is no longer favored to win reelection.
Former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic Party’s presumptive presidential nominee, has also argued that Trump would be willing to delay or cancel the 2020 election. The commander-in-chief has pushed back against this suggestion, describing Biden’s comments as “propaganda” thought up by Democratic operatives.
According to legal experts, the president does not have the authority to cancel or postpone elections — such a decision would need approval from the United States Congress to alter Section 1, Chapter 1 of Title 3 of the United States Code. Furthermore, even if the November election was not held, Trump’s term would expire in January.
Trump’s opposition to mail-in voting is not shared by a majority of Americans, according to a USA Today/Suffolk University poll released in early May. The survey found that nearly two-thirds of Americans say they would support voting by mail as an alternative to in-person voting during the coronavirus pandemic.
