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Amid a months long campaign sowing doubt over the security of voting by mail, concern is growing that President Donald Trump will refuse to acknowledge the election results if Democratic nominee Joe Biden wins in November.
At a speech in Wisconsin on Monday, Trump said:
"We have to win the election. We can't play games. Go out and vote. Do those beautiful absentee ballots, or just make sure your vote gets counted. Make sure because the only way we're going to lose this election is if the election is rigged."
The Trump campaign and administration continue to baselessly claim that mail-in voting is rife with instances of fraud—enough to sway an election.
In a press conference on Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany was asked if Trump's words from Monday mean he would only accept the election results if he wins.
Her answer didn't do much to allay these concerns.
Reporter: "Is the President saying if he doesn't win this election that he will not accept the results unless he wins?"
Kayleigh McEnany: "The President has always said he'll see what happens and make a determination in the aftermath." pic.twitter.com/iH606u3V38
— The Hill (@thehill) August 19, 2020
McEnany said:
"The President has always said he'll see what happens and make a determination in the aftermath. It's the same thing he's said last November. He wants a free election, a fair election, and he wants confidence in the results of the election."
She went on to take refuge in further efforts to discredit mail-in voting.
The answer only exacerbated concerns that Trump would refuse to accept the results.
Let's be clear: this is dictator-level stuff.
There was a time when if a foreign leader said something like that, our State Department would be all over them. https://t.co/WNBMOByzFg
— S.V. Dáte (@svdate) August 19, 2020
What no US President has ever said --- until now. https://t.co/AuurVHAMiy
— Mark S. Zaid (@MarkSZaidEsq) August 19, 2020
These people are fascists.
Actual fascists.
Plain and simple. https://t.co/xdacUttjmW
— Zac Petkanas (@Zac_Petkanas) August 19, 2020
This is the wrong answer from the White House podium. https://t.co/55LB0iRe2o
— Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) August 19, 2020
this is Authoritarianism 101
mind boggling that the press won't be upfront in describing this https://t.co/eaFu7qSBHg
— Eric Boehlert (@EricBoehlert) August 19, 2020
This is tantamount to an act of war by a President against his own country. https://t.co/0OHHbWSlif
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) August 19, 2020
Others insisted that it doesn't matter what Trump thinks of the results.
That's not how democracy works. We, the people, will make our determination about this president. Not the other way around. https://t.co/yHIiyRfaVu
— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) August 19, 2020
What the hell? The President doesn't “make a determination" about who wins our elections—We the People do. https://t.co/TODkqTJMG3
— Heath Mayo (@HeathMayo) August 19, 2020
The results of the election won't care about your determinations, Kayleigh. https://t.co/RPwmXWwtSV
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) August 19, 2020
Dear @PressSec: NO. The President does not make a determination of who wins in November. The voters do. We are not a dictatorship.
And it doesn't matter if @realDonaldTrump accepts his loss. The Secret Service will escort him out of the White House on January 20. https://t.co/ovRgMf8irn
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) August 19, 2020
Speculation has already arisen as to what would happen if Trump refused to accept a Biden win.