In an appearance on CNBC Street Signs Asia, Senior Fellow Charles Edel highlighted the growing questions about the danger President Trump is putting US institutions in, particularly the "integrity of the democratic vote come November".
"There's nothing more important to the integrity and fair functioning of democratic societies than the sanctity and integrity of the vote," Dr Edel said.
The United States Postal Service (USPS) has become a key focal point in the lead up to the election, a service which will be heavily relied upon as the coronavirus pandemic continues to ravage the country. Due to COVID-fuelled public health concerns, potentially "up to 40 per cent of Americans are going to seek to cast their vote by mail," Dr Edel explained.
In March 2020, President Trump posted a tweet which claimed mail-in voting comes with the “tremendous potential for voter fraud, and for whatever reason, doesn’t work out well for Republicans.”
Since this tweet, President Trump has continued to call the mail service and absentee ballot system into question. In an interview with New York Times Magazine, Attorney General William Barr joined the president in casting doubts over the security of mail-in ballots, citing foreign interference concerns.
"Trump for a long time has raised false allegations about fraudulent mail-in voting [...] To top off that he's been calling for cuts to the USPS and has installed a new head of the postal service who has cut back on mail delivery at a critical time that seems to be causing huge delays in mail across the United States."
"The Postmaster General has never been so busy in trying to sway the election for the president who appointed him," Dr Edel stated.
Concerns about the USPS are expected to feature heavily in the 2020 Democratic National Convention; the live-stream of the completely virtual event will kick off on 17 August and wrap up on 20 August.