The President has suggested delaying the election, despite lacking the authority to do so.

On his personal Twitter this morning, US President Donald Trump claimed that states’ increasing open-ness to mail-in voting for November’s presidential election will lead to widespread voter fraud. To this end, he has suggested delaying the presidential election until voting is more secure, though he did not specify what exactly he meant by “more secure.”

This suggestion has drawn heavy flak and scrutiny. Despite the President’s repeated claims that wider use of mail-in ballots would prompt interference from other countries, election officials have countered by saying that there are numerous safeguards in place to prevent such a thing from happening. Legal experts have also stated that there is no record of widespread mail-in voter fraud in the US. Trump’s claims of “universal mail-in voting” are also currently unfounded, as only a handful of states conduct their elections exclusively by mail, and only 29 states allow absentee voting without a valid excuse. However, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, multiple states have been in discussions to expand vote-by-mail operations in order to keep voters safe.

Both Twitter users and legal experts have pointed out that Trump does not have the authority to push back the election, even if he wanted to. That authority lies solely with Congress, and as the House is currently Democrat-controlled, any attempt on Trump’s part to pen legislature that would delay the election likely would not pass. Additionally, the 20th Amendment of the Constitution states that the term of the US President and Vice President ends explicitly on January 20. If an election is not held at that point, the position of President would automatically transfer to the Speaker of the House.

Trump’s comments harken back to comments made by Democratic candidate Joe Biden. “Mark my words — I think he is gonna try to kick back the election somehow, come up with some rationale why it can’t be held,” Biden said during a fundraiser in April. “Imagine threatening not to fund the Post Office. Now what in God’s name is that about? Other than trying to let the word out that he’s going to do all he can to make it very hard for people to vote. That’s the only way he thinks he can possibly win.”