Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is pushing back on concerns about the upcoming general election as President Donald Trump suggested the election be delayed.
During a news conference, DeSantis was asked about the president’s concerns regarding the upcoming election, according to the Tampa Bay Times. It appeared the Florida governor was unaware of Trump’s tweeted suggestion to delay the election.
“He asked for the election to be delayed?” DeSantis asked before confirming the state is already planning for the election. He also expressed confidence in the state of Florida being prepared.
“All of the supervisors of elections have been planning for this for a time, the Secretary of State’s been planning for this for a long time,” DeSantis said. “I think Florida will be ready to go.”
DeSantis’ remarks came shortly after Trump tweeted his concerns about the upcoming election due to the pandemic and the possibility of voter fraud.
Trump tweeted, “With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE [and] FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely, and safely vote???”
With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 30, 2020
The president’s tweet quickly caught the attention of lawmakers and news outlets.
Multiple Republican lawmakers pushed back against Trump’s concerns as they stood by the election law which states that the election would be held “the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November,” according to History.com.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fl.) also referenced the Election Day law when he was about Trump’s tweet.
“Since 1845, we’ve had an election on the first Tuesday after Nov. 1 and we’re going to have one again this year,” Rubio said on Thursday.
NOW, Rubio, regarding the president's tweet:
— Lisa Desjardins (@LisaDNews) July 30, 2020
"Since 1845, we've had an election on the first Tuesday after November 1st and we're going to have one again this year."
Despite the president’s concerns, no actions have been taken to delay the election. The general election is still scheduled for November 3, 2020.