Back in April, 2020 Democratic nominee Joe Biden expressed fears that President Donald Trump would make an effort to delay the 2016 election—something that's never happened in American history.
The prediction was widely dismissed, with lawyer and GOP impeachment witness Jonathan Turley writing an Op-Ed calling it a "conspiracy theory."
Only three months later, the President floated the idea of delaying the election as part of his smear effort against voting by mail.
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
In light of Trump's tweets, the Op-Ed from Turley didn't age well.
Neither did a lot of commentary on Fox News eviscerating Biden for suggesting that Trump would try to stall the election.
Watch the footage, resurrected by Media Matters for America, below.
Fox hosts previously dismissed the idea that Trump would delay the electionwww.youtube.com
Vocal Trump advocate Dan Bongino says in the video:
"It's just so dumb. I can't believe we have to cover this but we do, because it was brought up by a major party candidate."
Fox Business host Lou Dobbs said:
"What an idea. What a conjuring."
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee said:
"Biden pushed a bizarre conspiracy theory. It was that President Trump may try to delay the 2020 election."
Hindsight was, indeed, 20/20.
Will @FoxNewsSunday personalities admit that they were simply wrong? Once again, they look like a bunch of assholes.https://t.co/2BnmsXKScm
— Steve (@BroomallSteve) July 31, 2020
https://t.co/6LqG0kuxYU@dbongino @Varneyco @LouDobbs @GovMikeHuckabee @JoeBiden doesn't look so dumb now?
— POLITICS STAY AWAY (Never Mind) (@PoliticsAway) July 31, 2020
Dobbs and the rest of em scoffing at the Biden suggestion that Trump might try and delay the election. This is something...😳😳
👇👇👇👇👇👇👇
Supercut Shows Fox Personalities Saying Trump Will Never Do Something. He Just Did. https://t.co/QrjqFCCO5I
— Scott (@scottinankeny) July 31, 2020
@LouDobbs @FoxNewsSunday @CNN @NBCNews @NPR @politico @JoeBiden @GovMikeHuckabee so when can we expect a retraction 🤔🤔🤔🤔 https://t.co/8zWdg3xuop
— Gabe@UAW372 (@GabeUaw372) July 31, 2020
@FoxNews eating their words right about now!https://t.co/YzirCv2TJB
— Ĩtoka ◆ ✊🏾Melanin-Pride 🌍 (@LouSteinbeck) July 31, 2020
Trump's assertion has led even some of his supporters to call him out.
Others warn that similar rhetoric and subsequent action is already on the way.
Trump's unprecedented politicization & gutting of USPS is much greater threat to American democracy than his bogus call to delay election https://t.co/Y4Rmua6Hut
— Ari Berman (@AriBerman) July 31, 2020
If you are voting by mail, make sure to send in your ballots far in advance. Donald Trump's new sycophant at the head of USPS is implementing policies to delay the transfer of mail, while the GOP is filing lawsuits in states to prohibit counting ballots received after Nov. 3.
— A Worried Citizen (@ThePubliusUSA) July 24, 2020
Trump put one of his cronies in charge of the USPS in order to cause delays ahead of the election. Because he knows if everyone is allowed to vote...he loses in a massive landslide. Then it's off to prison where he belongs. #TrumpForPrison2020 https://t.co/lesFd45VtJ
— W Smith Ω 🧢 Trump Is America's #1 Security Threat (@WesSmith123) July 31, 2020
On top of being an admission he's losing, understand that Trump is deliberately delaying USPS so people will HAVE to ask for delays in counting the vote. https://t.co/0Wy92euKjG
— emptywheel (@emptywheel) July 30, 2020
Trump has no power in the Constitution to change the date of the election.
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