Senator Bernie Sanders has said that if Donald Trump refuses to leave the White House after losing the presidential election, there are many plans to force him out of office.
The former presidential optimist told Bill Maher on Friday that the Democrats have devised a series of contingency strategies if the president refuses to accept defeat in November.
“The main thing is that there are some things we have to do now to make sure Biden wins,” Sanders told Maher.
“And if Trump tries to stay in office after losing, there will be many plans to ensure he is fired.”
The president this week refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the election.
“We’re going to see what happens, you know, but I’m complaining very strongly about the ballot,” Trump said in a White House briefing Wednesday.
He later doubled down on remarks he made to supporters on Friday, saying “we will not lose this unless they cheat.”
“We want a very friendly transition. But we don’t want to be cheated. And be stupid … and we know there were thousands and thousands of ballots that made a difference through fraud. We don’t stand for that.”
A former aide to Vice President Mike Pence said this week that there has been talk of Trump refusing to step down in the White House.
“It’s horrible to me because, during my tenure at the White House, I had closed-door conversations with other government officials, including White House staff and members of the intelligence community, where we really discussed if he loses and refuses to leave.” So, “said Olivia Troy, a former aide to Vice President Mike Pence serving on the Coronavirus Task Force.
