Trump says "I don't know what [postmaster general] is doing" amid controversy over changes at U.S. Postal Service
President Trump on Saturday defended postmaster general Louis DeJoy amid criticisms of his actions at the helm of the U.S. Postal Service, although Mr. Trump did admit "I don't know what he's doing." "I can only tell you he's a very smart man," Mr. Trump said. "He'll be a great postmaster general."
Mr. Trump also denied that he and the postmaster general are deliberately attempting to hamper the Postal Service in the run up the general election. He claimed DeJoy "would love to see" successful mail-in voting, although the president also then said he has not spoken to DeJoy about it.
When asked about the recent warning from the U.S. Postal Service that mail-in ballots for the November election may not arrive on time, Mr. Trump again voiced his disapproval of mail-in voting.
"Universal mail-in voting is going to be catastrophic" the president claimed. "It's going to make our country a laughing stock all over the world."
The president continued to place the blame for a lack of funding squarely on Democrats, claiming they refuse to pass a new coronavirus relief bill. So far, no agreement on a new relief package has been made between Democrats and the White House. A bipartisan group of senators have proposed providing an additional $25 billion to the agency, which faces a financial crisis exacerbated by the pandemic.
Mr. Trump also touted positive economic numbers and stressed that he wanted college football to be played in the fall.
Mr. Trump praised the Big 12, SEC and ACC for announcing they planned to go ahead with their 2020 fall athletics, including football. The president also urged the Pac-12 and Big Ten to reconsider their decisions to postpone the season.
Mr. Trump pointed to professional sports leagues that have restarted as examples of how sports can resume safely. He said he always wants the NFL to come back, but only if players stand for the national anthem.
"I think what the NBA did was atrocious," Mr. Trump said, referring to the players kneeling during the national anthem when their season restarted. "It was disgraceful, the way they kneeled."