Obama said he most fears Trump undermining the legitimacy of the election two days before Trump suggested delaying the election

• Former President Barack Obama on Tuesday said that one of his greatest fears is President Donald Trump successfully suppressing votes and undermining the legitimacy of the 2020 election.
• Just two days, Trump publicly floated delaying the election, which he cannot legally do, while claiming that this year's contest "will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history."
• The president cannot legally postpone or cancel the election, but Democrats are concerned that Trump will restrict voting during the ongoing pandemic and sow doubt in the election's outcome.

Former President Barack Obama told a private gathering of donors on Tuesday that one of his greatest fears is President Donald Trump successfully suppressing votes and undermining the legitimacy of the 2020 election.

When asked what keeps him up at night, Obama pointed to Trump's escalating efforts to sow doubt about the outcome of the election, The New York Times reported.

Just two days later, Trump publicly floated delaying the election, which he cannot legally do, while claiming that this year's contest "will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history."

"With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history," Trump tweeted on Thursday morning. "It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???"

Trump's message came minutes after news broke of a record decline of US gross domestic product and after several weeks polls showing Americans don't approve of the president's handling of the pandemic.

The president cannot legally postpone or cancel the election, but Democrats are concerned that Trump will restrict voting during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and convince many Americans not to accept the outcome of the election, if he loses.

In late April, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden predicted that Trump will attempt to push back the election.

"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 told supporters at a virtual fundraiser.

At the time, the Trump campaign's communications director, Tim Murtaugh, slammed Biden's remark and insisted Trump "has been clear that the election will happen on November 3rd."

"Those are the incoherent, conspiracy theory ramblings of a lost candidate who is out of touch with reality," Murtaugh said.

Trump has repeatedly made unsubstantiated claims that mail-in voting will lead to widespread fraud and suggested that he'll contest the outcome of the election, if he loses. Mail-in voting will be particularly important this year, given safety issues with in-person voting during the pandemic.

He has also for years falsely claimed that US elections are plagued by widespread voter fraud. In 2016, he claimed the election was "rigged" against him and suggested he'd contest the outcome if he lost to Hillary Clinton.

"I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election — if I win," Trump said at an October 2016 rally.