Thread by @TheAtlantic

1/9 “Trump may win or lose, but he will never concede.” The worst case is not that Trump rejects the November election results, but that he uses his power to prevent a decisive outcome against him, @bartongellman reports in our latest cover story. on.theatln.tc/pb7jnqh

2/9 The danger goes beyond partisan discord. “The coronavirus pandemic, a reckless incumbent, a deluge of mail-in ballots, a vandalized Postal Service, a resurgent effort to suppress votes, and a trainload of lawsuits are bearing down on the nation’s creaky electoral machinery.”

3/9 One scenario worrying election modelers is that Trump will jump ahead on November 3, based on in-person returns, and his lead will slowly give way to a Joe Biden victory as mail-in votes are tabulated.

4/9 Mail-in ballots will have plenty of flaws for the Trump lawyers to seize upon, including changed addresses and signatures written in the wrong place.

5/9 “If the Election Night results get changed because of the ballots counted after Election Day, you have the basic ingredients for a shitstorm,” a legal adviser to Trump’s national campaign tells Gellman.

6/9 Sources tell Gellman that the Trump campaign is discussing contingency plans to bypass election results and appoint pro-Trump electors in battleground states where Republicans hold the legislative majority, claiming rampant fraud as justification.

7/9 This presidential election will also be the first in 40 years without a federal judge requiring the RNC to seek approval in advance for any “ballot security” operations at the polls. Republicans are recruiting volunteers in 15 contested states to monitor polling places.

8/9 With Trump, Gellman writes, we should ask: “What might a ruthless incumbent do that has never been tried before?”

9/9 “Right now, the best we can do is an ad hoc defense of democracy,” he continues. “Take agency. An election cannot be stolen unless the American people, at some level, acquiesce.” Read the full story: on.theatln.tc/O3qB1kA