Donald Trump not ready to commit to election results if he loses

Trump AP
One of many topics in a wide-ranging Fox News interview.

President Donald Trump is refusing to publicly commit to accepting the results of the upcoming White House election, recalling a similar threat he made weeks before the 2016 vote, as he scoffs at polls showing him lagging behind Democrat Joe Biden. Trump says it’s too early to make such an ironclad guarantee.

“I have to see. Look … I have to see,” Trump told moderator Chris Wallace during a wide-ranging interview on ”Fox News Sunday.” “No, I’m not going to just say yes. I’m not going to say no, and I didn’t last time either.” The Biden campaign responded: “The American people will decide this election. And the United States government is perfectly capable of escorting trespassers out of the White House.”

Trump also hammered the Pentagon brass for favoring renaming bases that honor Confederate military leaders — a drive for change spurred by the national debate about race after George Floyd’s death. “I don’t care what the military says,” the commander in chief said.

The President described the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, as “a little bit of an alarmist” about the coronavirus pandemic, and Trump stuck to what he had said back in February — that the virus is “going to disappear.” On Fox, he said, “I’ll be right eventually.” The United States tops the global death toll list with over 140,000 and confirmed infections, with 3.7 million.

It is remarkable that a sitting President would express less than complete confidence in the American democracy’s electoral process. But for Trump, it comes from his insurgent playbook of four years ago, when in the closing stages of his race against Hillary Clinton, he said he would not commit to honoring the election results if the Democrat won.

Pressed during an October 2016 debate about whether he would abide by the voters’ will, Trump responded that he would “keep you in suspense.” The President’s remarks to Fox are certain to fuel conversation on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers had already been airing concerns in private about a scenario in which Trump disputes the election results.

Trump has seen his presidential popularity erode over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and in the aftermath of nationwide protests centered on racial injustice that erupted after Floyd’s death in Minneapolis nearly two months.

Trump contends that a series of polls that show his popularity eroding and Biden holding an advantage are faulty. He believes Republican voters are underrepresented in such surveys.

“First of all, I’m not losing, because those are fake polls,” Trump said in the taped interview, which aired Sunday. “They were fake in 2016 and now they’re even more fake. The polls were much worse in 2016.”

Trump was frequently combative with Wallace in defending his administration’s response to the pandemic, weighing in on the Black Lives Matter movement and trying to portray Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, as lacking the mental prowess to serve as President.

Among the issues discussed was the push for wholesale changes in policing that has swept across the nation. Trump said he could understand why Black Americans are upset about how police use force disproportionately against them.

“Of course I do. Of course I do,” the President said, adding his usual refrain that “whites are also killed, too.”

He said he was “not offended either by Black Lives Matter,” but at the same time defended the Confederate flag, a symbol of the racism of the past, and said those who “proudly have their Confederate flags, they’re not talking about racism.”

“They love their flag, it represents the South, they like the South. That’s freedom of speech. And you know, the whole thing with ‘cancel culture,’ we can’t cancel our whole history. We can’t forget that the North and the South fought. We have to remember that, otherwise we’ll end up fighting again. You can’t just cancel all,” Trump said.

Wallace challenged Trump on some of his claims and called out the President at time, such as when Trump falsely asserted that “Biden wants to defund the police.” The former Vice President has not joined with activists rallying behind that banner. He has proposed more money for police, conditioned to improvements in their practices.

Trump continues to insist that Biden “signed a charter” with one of his primary rivals on the left, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. At one point in the interview, Trump calls on aides to bring him documentation to support his assertion. Trump, however, is unable to point to language from a Biden-Sanders task force policy document released this month by the Biden campaign.

Trump stood behind his pledge to veto a $740 billion defense bill over a requirement that the Defense Department change the names of bases named for Confederate military leaders. That list includes Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Fort Hood in Texas and Fort Benning in Georgia.

The President argued there were no viable alternatives if the government ever tried. “We’re going to name it after the Reverend Al Sharpton?” Trump asked, referring to a prominent civil rights leader. “What are you going to name it?”

Trump, 74, stuck to a campaign charge that Biden, 77, is unable to handle the rigors of the White House because of his age. As for polls showing the incumbent is trailing, Trump noted he was thought to be behind for much of the 2016 contest. “I won’t lose,” he predicted.

The President and top advisors have long accused Biden of using the pandemic as an excuse to stay in “his basement” in his Delaware home. Biden has indeed shifted much of his campaign online, but frequently travels in Delaware and Pennsylvania, organizing speeches and small gatherings with voters and community leaders that are within driving distance of his home. Biden’s campaign says it will begin resuming normal travel and campaign activities, but only when health officials and state and local authorities say it is safe.

Questioned about the coronavirus, Trump chided Fauci, the National Institutes of Health expert, and repeated false claims that anybody could get a test and that increased testing was the only reason that the U.S. was seeing more cases. When Wallace cited criticism about the lack of a national plan to confront the virus, Trump said, “I take responsibility always for everything because it’s ultimately my job, too,” and claimed, “I supplied everybody.”

Case are rising because people are infecting each other more than they were when most everyone was hunkered down. The percentage of tests coming back positive for the virus has been on the rise across nearly the entire country.

Associated Press


3 comments

  • Margan lustin

    July 19, 2020 at 8:39 pm

    Please all press and everybody. Letting trump and de santis STILL GET AWAY TALKING JUST ABT CASES AND MORE TESTS MEANS MORE CASES.
    NOTHE THE IMPORTANT ISSUE AND IS DELIBERATELY SAID TO DENY TRUTH.

    PLS PLS REPORT AND UNDERSTAND THAT FOR MANY WEEKS HOSPITALIZATIONS HAVE SURGED WITH SEVRELY ICU PATIENTS ALL AGES. Hospitals in worst hit spots out of icu beds and many many smaller hospitals all over florida.

    Deaths are Avg over 100 a day for 3000 plus dead every 4 weeks and increasing.

    Trump and de santis focus on total cases which are horrific…BUT THE BIG CHANGE IN LATE JUNE AND JULY THAT’S ALL MATTERS IS HOSPITALS FULL OVERWHELMED.ARE LOW AGAIN NEEDED SUPPLIES TO WEAR FOR PROTECTION AND DRUG NEEDED FOR TREATMENT THAT MADE DIFFERENCE LIFE OR DEATH FOR MANY NO MORE.
    DE SANTIS IS SUPPOSEDLY GETTING 5000 DOSES HOSPITALS SAY IS WAY TOO LITTLE THEY NEED.

    TRUMP SAYING …AS YOU QUOTED…MORE TESTING LEADS MORE CASES, SO TEST LESS. PLS PLS PLS POINT OUT HIS QUOTE THAT HOSPITALIZATIONS AND DEATHS RECORD HIGHS FULL HOSPITALS ETC ETC AS VIRUS OUT OF CONTROL BECAUSE OF SICK NEED ICICI NOT MORE TESTING.PLS CLARIFY IT’S HOSPITALIZATIONS AND DEATHS DRASTICALLY INCREASED BEYOND CONTROL LAST 4 weeks and now record highs STILL over 12000 one day. Is important cases because reflectsunami so many sick need icu hospitals overwhelmed again.

    Stupid trump corrupt de santis just don’t get it that the cases represent lot record high icu patients now in hallways at all major hospitals and rural as well.

    Look at growth rate hospitalizations and deaths on treasure coast. In late may Indian River County had 4 now increasing daily rapidly pushing 1500.st lucie tripled in 2 weeks. These hospitals locally have no beds icu available at all long time now.de santis is saying young infecting older again.DUH!! WHY FILL UP HIS TALK WITH OBVIOUS FOR OVER 3 WEEKS NOW DELIBERATELY AVOIDING HOSPITALIZATIONS FULLMAN OVERWHELMED A DISASTER AND DEATHS WERE 113 A MONTH NOW OVER 100 DAILY.THAT’S THE ISSUE,NOT STUPID QUOTED REMARKS FROM TRUMP OR DE SANTIS SAYING DO LESS TESTING LESS CASES. THEY JUST GO THE HOSPITALS. STUPID MINDLESS REMARKS.
    DE SANTIS MANIPULATES POSITIVITY RSTE BY ALLOWING ONLY CERTAIN AMT TESTS DAILY TO FAKE A DECLINE.

    STOP QUOTING SUCH A MANIPULATED RATE,PER HOSPITALIZATIONS NUMBERS POSITIVITY RATE IS ABT 40 PERCENT IF NOT FAKED. IT’S SO MUCH UNIMPORTANT RHETORIC ON AND ON HE DOES TO FILL THE MEDIA,

    HE DOESNT GET ADDRESSED ON FULL HOSPITALIZATIONS AND HUGE RECORD DAILY DEATHS WHICH CLEARLY SHOW PUT OF CONTROL DISASTER. WITH TRUMPS AND DE SANTIS ONGOING TALK ABT CASES THEY BOTH FOOL MEDIA AND LOCAL,LEADERS SEEING WITH THEIR OWN EYES THE ISSUE IS FULL HOSPITALS LOW SUPPLIES NO MEDS ANYMORE.

    Trump is mentally ill. De santis is completely cunning casual lying corruption deliberately.

    He fills the media with total bulls*** rhetoric and lies abt hospitalizations and deaths if asked. But any reporter or political can right back at him with numbers showing disaster increasing.

    What is wrong de santis wont mandate masks.that’s evil excuse.because many will and just because he won’t enforce it he didn’t have to teLloyd the idiots that giving them permission not do it.

    DE SANTIS DOESNT HAVE THE HUMAN INTELLECT TO UNDERSTAND IF AS STATE LEADERSHIP MILLIONS WOULD WEAR A MASK MANDATE IF HE SAID SO.ENFORCED OR NOT MILLIONS WOULD FINALLY TAKE IT SERIOUSLY BECAUSE HE DOWNPLAYS TALKING ABT ONLY MORE CASES CAUSE MORE TESTS.WHO CARES DE SANTIS !!!! WHAT’S SHOWING OUT OF CONTROL SEverelyour FULL ICU BED’S IS SURGING RECORD HIGHS OF …SICK PEOPLe. Causing 700 deaths now plus every SINGLE WEEK.NO END IN SIGHT.IS MASSIVELY SPREAD TOO MUCH ALREADY. WHAT HAS HE GOT TO LOSE MANDATING MASKS SERIOUSLY??,,MILLIONS WOULD.
    HE IS SO ARROGANT HE THINKS HE KNOWS PEOPLE AND HE HAS ZERO UNDERSTANDING OF HUMAR NATURE.HE MANDATES MILLIONSAYS WOULD DO IT, HOW STUPID STUPID TELL IDIOTS HE WOULDNT ENFORCE IT,

    HALF THE IDIOTS WOULD THINK HE WOULD AND WEAR THEM TO START SLOWLY THE VIRUS SLOWDOWN.
    HE HAS SUCH AN EGO HE DECIDES WHAT 20 MILLION PEOPLE WILL COMPLY WITH OR NOT IS IN COMPREHENSION AND ARROGANT SO OUT OF TOUCH WITH HUMAN NATURE A LEADER MUST HAVE,HE’S NO LEADER.HE IS AN ARROGANT ONE MAN DICTATOR MAKING HUGE ONGOING DEADLY MISTAKES AT THE COST OF LIVES HOSPITALS AND ECONOMY CLOSING ANYWAY.HE’S LETTING VIRUS WIN BECAUSE HE’S EGO CENTERED ARROGANT IGNORES TRUE HOSPITALIZATIONS AND DEATHS AND IS A VERY COLD SINISTER PERSONSLITY.GOD HELP US ALL.HE IS SO ARROGANT AND FULL OF HIMSELF WE ARE DOOMED AS HE SAYS ALL THE WRONG THINGS FOR PUBLIC TO HEAR IN ORDER TO GET THEM TO BE CAREFUL.ALL WRONG THINGS A LEADER SHOULD SAY AND IT’S CAUSING MASSIVE SPREAD.A COLD HEARTED ARROGANT LAWYER OUT OF TOUCH WITH HUMAN NATURE SO HUGELY HE’S DESTROYED FLORIDA,AND STOP TALKING ABT CASES AND TESTS. IT’S HOSPITALIZATIONS AND DEATHS PERIOD.HE’S CONNING EVERYBODY NOT FOCUSING BY ON THOSE AS HE SHOULD IF HE WASN’T SO CORRUPT

    IT’S NEVER GOING TO DISSEAPEAR. VACCINES ONLY 50 PERCENT EFFECTIVE AND LONG AWAY FOR PUBLIC USE,HE NEEDS TO RESIGN GET OFF HIS HIGH ARROGANT HORSE BEING A ONE MAN DICTATOR DECIDING MILLIONS WONT WEAR A MASK.IF HE SAYS SO SERIOUSLY MILLIONS WILL AND THAT COULD MAKE HUGE DIFFERENCE,WHAT HAS HE GOT TO LOSE TRY IT…???,,,

    .

    .

    .

  • S.B. Anthony

    July 19, 2020 at 9:30 pm

    Looking forward to seeing the fake impeached “president” get carried out of the White House.

  • Sonja Fitch

    July 20, 2020 at 3:43 pm

    Putin loving scum traitor trump talks like a deranged old white boy!

Comments are closed.


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