On Wednesday night time, he threw all subtlety out the window — refusing to say he would settle for a peaceable transition of energy “win, lose or draw” this fall. Due to course he did.
Whereas Trump’s incapability to say he would settle for the elections outcomes is unhealthy — like, actually unhealthy — his full quote in response to the peaceable transition of energy query is definitely extra damning, and telling, concerning the man who presently leads the nation.
“Effectively, we’ll need to see what occurs. You recognize that. I have been complaining very strongly concerning the ballots. And the ballots are a catastrophe. … We need to have — do away with the ballots and you will have a really trans- — we’ll have a really peaceable — there will not be a switch, frankly; there will be a continuation. The ballots are uncontrolled. You recognize it.”
Let’s give Trump the good thing about the doubt that when he stated “do away with the ballots” he was referring to mail-in ballots reasonably than, you understand, all of the ballots. Even so, take into account what he’s saying within the bolded a part of that quote.
After saying he cannot decide to a peaceable transition of energy, Trump, basically, says that if mail-in ballots are eradicated, then issues might be “very peaceable” as a result of “there will not be a switch, frankly; there will be a continuation.”
So, if Trump is assured to win, then the election is all good! As a result of he will not want to surrender energy! He’ll merely proceed to carry onto it! At this level, it is in all probability value remembering the oodles of instances that Trump has “joked” about serving greater than the 2 phrases set out within the Structure.
Then there was this earlier this month: “And 52 days from now we’ll win Nevada, and we’ll win 4 extra years within the White Home. After which after that, we’ll negotiate, proper? As a result of we’re in all probability — primarily based on the way in which we had been handled — we’re in all probability entitled to a different 4 after that.”
Add all of it up and we’ve a President who’s now on report saying: a) he will not decide to a peaceable transition of energy until b) all mail-in ballots are eradicated as a result of c) that will imply he would win once more and d) has repeatedly raised the potential for staying on past even the eight-year time period restrict on the presidency.
So, what Trump is doing is creating the proper excuse to by no means concede: He’s saying that the vote might be honest and he’ll conform to a peaceable transition of energy if there are not any mail-in votes. Which he is aware of actually can’t occur. And so, if he loses, he already has his fallback plan in place: The acceptance of mail-in ballots means the whole election was a hoax and a fraud. And why ought to he admit he misplaced an election that was rigged in opposition to him?
In his feedback on Wednesday night time, Trump did extra than simply reject the concept of a peaceable transition of energy. He stated that he won’t settle for the election until he wins or until an impossibility — the rejection of all mail-in ballots — is carried out.
Should you do not assume that is a uniquely harmful place to carry for the continued energy of our democracy, properly, you are simply not paying consideration.