“Now we have to be very cautious with the ballots, the ballots, that is an entire large rip-off,” Trump falsely instructed reporters earlier than departing the White Home on Thursday, referring to unsolicited mail-in ballots that solely 9 states and Washington, DC, present.
The November contest, he stated, must be “sincere,” including that, “I am undecided that it may be, I do not know that it may be with this complete scenario, unsolicited ballots, they’re unsolicited, hundreds of thousands being despatched to all people.”
“Properly, we will should see what occurs,” Trump stated when requested whether or not he’d decide to a peaceable transition, one of many cornerstones of American democracy.
He has beforehand refused to say whether or not he would settle for the election outcomes, echoing his sentiments from 2016 that he’ll “should see.” And Trump has joked — he says — about staying in workplace effectively previous the constitutionally certain two phrases.
However the President’s refusal to ensure a violence-free transition went additional and is more likely to alarm his opponents, who’re already on edge given his deployment of federal legislation enforcement to quell protests in American cities.
Earlier Thursday, White Home press secretary Kayleigh McEnany didn’t explicitly say the President would settle for the outcomes of the election, solely saying Trump would “settle for the outcomes of a free and truthful election.”
Nevertheless, the President himself continues to forged doubt on whether or not he’ll view this election as “free and truthful.”
Moreover, the President’s distinction between mail-in voting and absentee voting has baffled consultants who say these voting methods are basically the identical factor.
CNN’s Kevin Liptak and Maegan Vazquez contributed to this report.
