Trump can’t delay the election, but he can still do lasting harm

'Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???' Trump had asked in a tweet. —AFP

THROUGHOUT his first term, President Donald Trump has set new standards for reckless and divisive conduct in office. His latest declaration marks a dangerous new low.

When confronted with Trump’s outrageous behavior in the past, Republicans in Congress have generally pleaded ignorance or offered qualified defenses. They should recognise this latest intervention as something different – an indefensible provocation that could do lasting damage to American democracy.