Donald Trump could lead America into the biggest constitutional crisis since George Bush and Al Gore

Congress effectively has the power to stop him but the threat of legal action could still deliver the president his wish of a postponed election, writes Sean O'Grady

Can President Trump postpone the next presidential election? The short answer is no, as the timings are up to Congress, not him; the longer answer is that he might just pull it off, through a mixture of political manoeuvrings, legal chicanery and general bullying.

Since the coronavirus crisis, this unexpected question has been raised a few times. Covid-19 and the successive waves of infections in some states has meant that some local authorities have made provision for a massive expansion in “mail-in” voting, to avoid personal contact and spreading the virus.

This level of non-personal voting would be unprecedented, and Trump, among others, has voiced concerns – though postal voting has not suffered a particularly high incidence of fraud in the US. Mr Trump warns of litigation – possibly from his own lawyers – in such circumstances. A more cynical reason why the president has raised again the prospect of a delay is that he is on course to lose. A delay would mean Covid-19 passing, a recovering economy and a rally-driven fresh sense of momentum.