At a press briefing at the White House on Wednesday, President Donald Trump refused to commit to a peaceful transition of power should he lose the upcoming election, saying “the ballots are a disaster” and he expects the election results to make their way to the Supreme Court.
The comments came after a reporter asked the president whether he would commit to ensuring a peaceful transfer of power after the election.
“We’re going to have to see what happens, you know that,” Trump, 74, responded. “I’ve been complaining very strongly about the ballots and the ballots are a disaster.”
“Get rid of the ballots and you’ll have a … very peaceful — there’s won’t be a transfer, frankly, there’ll be a continuation,” the president continued. “The ballots are out of control … and you know who knows it better than anybody else? The Democrats know it better than anybody else.”
Trump’s Wednesday comments echoed earlier remarks he made to Fox News reporter Chris Wallace.
In an interview with Fox News Sunday in July, the president said he would “have to see” when asked whether he might not accept the results of the election. Trump also told Wallace that he expected mail-in voting to “rig” the election, despite having no evidence to back up this claim.❐
Reporter: "Win, lose or draw in this election, will you commit here today for a peaceful transferal of power after the election?"
President Trump: "We're going to have to see what happens." pic.twitter.com/KdBU5lvSYd
— NBC Politics (@NBCPolitics) September 23, 2020
