https://www.9news.com.au/world/us-election-2020-what-is-red-mirage-and-what-happens-donald-trump-calls-victory-early/b5ed81be-2229-46f9-ae44-cfac4a014062

How Trump could push button on 'red mirage' strategy and send US election to Supreme Court

President Donald Trump has denied he plans to execute a "red mirage" strategy on election night, where he declares himself the winner early and sets up a potential Supreme Court battle.

The red mirage entails Mr Trump declaring victory before midnight if he finds himself ahead in a clutch of key battleground states.

A report by Axios, which Mr Trump has rejected as false, claims the president's team have been discussing the plan for weeks.

The story was based on three sources familiar with the discussions, Axios claimed.

For red mirage to occur, Mr Trump would need to either win or have commanding leads in Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, Texas, Iowa, Arizona and Georgia.

But it will all be about Pennsylvania, Professor Wesley Widmaier, an international affairs expert at Australian National University, said.

"Pennsylvania is the keystone here, no pun intended," Professor Widmaier told nine.com.au, referring to the state's nickname.

Professor Widmaier said Mr Trump could "plausibly tip" the handful of key states that would set up Pennsylvania as a potential trigger point.

"Then they'll know they just have to take that risky strategy in Pennsylvania," he explained.

According to Axois, Mr Trump's team is preparing to falsely claim that mail-in ballots counted after November 3 are evidence of election fraud and a stolen election.

Speaking to reporters to deny the story, Mr Trump added it was a "terrible thing when ballots can be collected after an election".

A former Obama staffer this week said the red mirage strategy sounded like a "super villain" and would be just as "insidious" if used.