Latest 2020 election updates as Trump doubles down on mail-in ballot fraud allegations

Follow the latest updates

Dr Fauci contradicted Donald Trump's optimistic assessment (AP)

Twitter has added a warning to a tweet by Donald Trump in which the president appears to again call on supporters to try to vote twice. According to the platform, the president’s post “violated the Twitter Rules about civic and election integrity”.

The update comes after a volley of Tweets in which the president threatened those behind the Mueller inquiry into alleged links between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin, saying “a big price must be paid”.

Elsewhere, Dr Anthony Fauci has said that Americans cannot expect a return to pre-coronavirus normality until the end of 2021, despite Donald Trump’s claim the country had “rounded a corner” in tackling the disease.

See below to read how the day’s political action unfolded.

Key points

• Twitter adds warning to Trump tweet calling on supporters to vote twice
• No return to normal until end of 2021, says Fauci
• 8,800 children deported under coronavirus rules
• Trump hails Bahrain-Israel talks

[12 September 2020 10:57 · Jon Sharman]

Opinion: Trump’s nomination makes a mockery of the Nobel Peace Prize

Winning the Nobel Peace Prize is the greatest possible accolade for any peace activist or pacifist organisation. I feel proud to be part of an international community that dares to value concord over conflict, diplomacy over warfare, and democracy over dictatorship, writes Becky Alexis-Martin.

The Nobel Peace Prize represents our aspiration for a kinder world – and recognises those who continue to fight for peace. So, can this prestigious award retain its symbolic value in an age of politicking and populism? 

[12 September 2020 10:25 · Jon Sharman]

No return to normal for a year, Fauci says

Anthony Fauci, the US’ top infectious disease expert, has warned that Americans cannot expect a return to pre-coronavirus normality for another year.

He told MSNBC: "By the time you mobilize the distribution of the vaccine and get a majority or more of the population vaccinated and protected, that’s likely not going to happen until the end of 2021.

"If you’re talking about getting back to a degree of normality prior to Covid, it’s going to be well into 2021, towards the end of 2021."

Dr Fauci had previously spoken out to disagree with Donald Trump’s claim the US had “rounded the corner” in terms of the outbreak.

Read more about that exchange below:

[12 September 2020 09:46 · Jon Sharman]

Iran reacts to Bahrain-Israel talks

Tehran is displeased at Bahrain’s decision to normalise diplomatic relations with Israel in a deal brokered by the Trump administration.

Iran's foreign ministry said that it would hold the governments of Bahrain and its allies responsible for any insecurity caused by Israel in the Gulf region.

Iranian state TV reported the regime as saying Bahrain would be complicit in Israeli policies which threatened regional security.

"Bahrain's shameful move sacrifices the Palestinian cause and decades of struggle ... at the expense of the US election," a foreign ministry statement was quoted as saying.

[12 September 2020 09:25 · Jon Sharman]

Fauci splits with Trump on virus claim

Dr Anthony Fauci, America’s top infectious disease expert, has contradicted a claim by Donald Trump that the US has “rounded a corner” in the fight against the coronavirus, writes Richard Hall.

Dr Fauci said on Friday that he disagreed with the statement made by Mr Trump at the White House a day earlier, and called the current figures “disturbing.”

"I have to disagree with that, because, if you look at the thing that you just mentioned, the statistics ... they are disturbing," he told MSNBC.

[12 September 2020 09:05 · Jon Sharman]

9,000 unaccompanied migrant children deported under Covid-19 rules

Donald Trump's administration has expelled some 8,800 unaccompanied migrant children intercepted at the US-Mexico border since 20 March under rules designed to limit the spread of coronavirus, according to court documents filed by the Justice Department on Friday.

The administration had declined to disclose the numbers since June, when it said about 2,000 children had been expelled.

Trump officials implemented new border rules on 21 March that ended decades-old practices under laws meant to protect children from human trafficking and offer them a chance to seek asylum in a US immigration court.

Since then, American officials have been swiftly removing migrants, including unaccompanied children, without standard immigration proceedings.

[12 September 2020 08:45 · Jon Sharman]

Trump lawyers move to block release of tax returns in NY

Lawyers for Donald Trump have filed a motion with a federal appeals court requesting that it reconsider its decision last month to allow Manhattan’s top prosecutor to obtain nearly a decade’s worth of the US president’s business and personal tax returns.

The motion, filed with the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in New York, argues that US District Judge Victor Marrero erred in giving Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance the OK to enforce what it called a “dragnet” subpoena into eight years of Trump’s tax returns with the accounting firm Mazars USA and expand a criminal probe into the president’s business dealings.

The filing further argues that Mr Marrero failed to consider the “unlimited breadth” and scope of Mr Vance’s subpoena, which Mr Trump’s lawyers say was largely copied from an earlier subpoena by Congressional Democrats.

[12 September 2020 08:24 · Jon Sharman]

Nevada election push

The president will go head-to-head with state public health officials this weekend by holding public campaign events in Nevada, just days after they blocked plans for two rallies in Reno and Las Vegas.

Nevada has not supported a Republican presidential candidate for 16 years.

The president’s team originally planned rallies at airport hangars in Reno and Las Vegas, but those were scuttled by state officials due to concerns the campaign would not abide by Covid-19 restrictions.

State Republicans blamed Democratic governor Steve Sisolak for trying to hurt the president's re-election bid. Mr Sisolak has limited in-person gatherings indoors and outdoors to 50 people since May, a recommendation based on White House reopening guidelines.

Instead, Mr Trump will hold holding a new event in Minden, about 45 miles south of Reno, on Saturday night. He plans to host a "Latinos for Trump" round-table on Sunday morning in Las Vegas, then hold an evening rally at a manufacturing facility in neighboring Henderson.

"Nevada Trump Victory has over 50 staffers in the state and has contacted over 2 million voters," said state Republican Party chairman Michael McDonald. "The Democrats are scared. They know President Trump has the momentum."

[12 September 2020 08:09 · Jon Sharman]

Trump hails diplomatic thaw between Israel and Bahrain

Donald Trump announced on Friday that Bahrain has indicated it intends to normalise relations with Israel, another significant step in the Middle East that comes after the president and his administration helped broker a similar pact between the United Arab Emirates and the Jewish state, writes John T Bennett.

“This is a truly historic day ... So interesting that it’s on 9/11,” Mr Trump told reporters in a previously unplanned Oval Office availability. “When I took office, the Middle East was in a state of absolute chaos.”

The governments of Bahrain, Israel and the United States said in a joint statement: “Opening direct dialogue and ties between these two dynamic societies and advanced economies will continue the positive transformation of the Middle East and increase stability, security, and prosperity in the region.”