Trump says he doesn't want to delay 2020 election; but worried about mail-in ballots

[July 31, 2020]    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hours after suggesting a possible delay in the 2020 U.S. presidential election, U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said he did not want to postpone the vote, but remained concerned that millions of mail-in ballots would cause problems.

President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with family members of slain Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen, who was was found dead after disappearing from the army base in Texas, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., July 30, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

"I want an election and a result, much, much more than you," Trump told reporters at the White House. "I don't want to delay. I want to have the election. But I also don't want to have to wait three months and then find out that the ballots are all missing, and the election doesn't mean anything."

Trump cited recent media reports about potential problems with mail-in ballots arriving late and said it could take weeks, months or even years to sort it out. "Do I want to see a date change? No, but I don't want to see a crooked election," he said.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Doina Chiacu; editing by Diane Craft)

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