Amir Ali Abolfath, in an interview with the website of the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, stated that fraud in the US elections was not unprecedented. Traditionally, such frauds and manipulations have not been that much effective to change the fate of the elections. But, when the differences are small in a constituency, those violations can become problematic; like the case in Florida in 2000, when it went to the Federal Supreme Court, and with the verdict of the court the result was as such that eventually the Republican candidate, George W. Bush, became the president.

Referring to the decision to hold postal elections and Trump’s opposition to this decision, he elaborated on the reasons of each of the candidates to reject or accept the postal elections and said: The Democrats believe that the health situation requires people to use this opportunity. From their point of view, the postal system is accurate, postal elections have been held many times and have shown its efficiency and accuracy, and the reason for Trump’s remarks is that he knows he will lose the election and any increase in the turnout, especially in sensitive states will eventually damage the candidate of the Republicans.

Abolfath said that in the Republican states postal elections are very limited, and in Democratic states, with regard to the restrictions for certain people, are allowed and in some other states, anyone can participate in absentia.

Possibility of Court Entering into Election Results

Referring to Trump’s remarks about the possibility of election fraud and that the only way to defeat him in the election is fraud, he continued: If the result difference between Trump and Biden is little or if Biden wins the election, Trump has already said he would not accept the result of the postal election and has labeled his defeat as a conspiracy through the postal election. In all likelihood, if Trump does not win by a landslide vote, he may not accept the election and would refer it to court.

Abolfath said there have always been legal disputes after the elections, adding: The task of some states before the elections is clear, but the disputes occur when the result difference between the candidates is very meager. The importance of this period is that, unlike previous years, when the president himself defended the health of the elections, he spoke of fraud like the opposition party! For this reason, the rival party has been forced to mobilize more troops against such a president. Therefore, this political struggle has been going on for years and it is getting worse each time. In the next elections, it will definitely be more intense than this period.

With regard to the view of the public opinion on such tensions, he said: Until two or three decades ago, there was a debate over a plan in the United States. Both parties had a series of plans for themselves and did not accept each other’s plans. When a party would win, the losing party would not feel being threatened, because it would say it would win the next round of elections and could change its agenda later.

Saying that under the present status quo, for various reasons, the elections have become a kind of ideological war – the war of good and evil, he added: One group considers itself good and divine and thinks the other group is evil and Satan. Particularly in the Republican camp, which has a stronger faith, it is believed that losing the 2020 election means destruction of the United States and the loss of religion, the world, Christianity and the homeland.

Republicans Have Come to Win the Election War by All Means

Referring to Trump’s literature in this regard, which says ‘if we lose the election, we have destroyed God and we have lost God and Christ’, Abolfath said: He says the country would be sold to China and the Constitution would be destroyed. The image that Trump has created of the election is that the first day of Joe Biden’s presidency means the destruction of the United States of America! Not physically, but even in terms of value and ideals. So the Republicans have come to win this war any way; because defeat in this war means destruction of everything they had.

Saying that under such circumstances everything is allowed and the fanatics behind Trump would resort to any means for victory, such as fraud, bloodshed, bombings and assassinations, the expert noted: Even the secession of a number of states, such as what happened in Abraham Lincoln’s era that caused murder of 600,000 people, could be repeated. Because, this ideological bias, especially among the Republicans, is so great that the idea of Biden’s victory means that we should not be Christians and Americans, and the devil appears in the country! In this situation, the issue of fraud is a minor issue.

Possibility of Post-Election Violence

According to Abolfath, we may be witness to violence; Trump also threatened and said if Biden wins, there will be war in the country! What has been said may not happen, but the atmosphere in America is ready for it. The other side has not entered with this nervousness and did not consider Trump’s victory as the destruction of the country. He may not use this much violence, but the other side has strong prejudices and is ready to do everything.

Some of the events that took place during the Trump presidency are unprecedented in the history of the United States, said the expert, adding: Fights escalates to such an extent, statues are toppled, American flag is set on fire and “Death to America” is being shouted. It is for a year that the president and the Speaker of the House of Representatives are not talking to each other! They cannot approve a budget. What happened in the city of Portland and some other areas is as if it happened in a war-torn city in the Middle East. They kill police and they kill black people!

Referring to some tensions in the past months between the two American parties, Abolfath said: Situation is very tense because the gap in the US has widened. Once the parties would tolerate each other and had cross-party cooperation, but now we are facing a country that cannot approve a one-year budget. The parties have come to destroy each other. The disputes are penetrating into the body and the tensions that are at the bottom of society are also imposing themselves on upper levels. Meanwhile, the people have various economic and health deficiencies and are dissatisfied with the current situation, and politicians are waging a war for power.

Passage of Time Is in Trump’s Favor

Regarding the status of each candidate, Abolfath stressed: Polls cannot be counted on, but two or three days after the first debate between Biden and Trump, a better assessment can be made. That debate could be an important turning point. Of course, the assessments are that Trump should emerge more successful from the debate than Biden; but now it is not possible to give a definitive opinion, while the passage of time is in Trump’s favor in one aspect.