On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump refused to commit to allowing a peaceful transfer of power if he lost his bid for re-election on November 3, raising the largely unfounded possibility of fraud. widespread on vote-by-mail ballots.
If it was a fair and free election, Trump claimed, there will be “continuation” of power and no transfer.
This is not the first time that he did not commit to the issue, and he recently took the same stance in an interview with Fox News. And as a candidate in 2016, he had refused to say that he will accept the election result if he loses.
“Well, we’re going to have to see what happens,” Trump said Wednesday when a reporter at a White House briefing asked him if he would commit to a peaceful transfer of power. “You know that. I’ve complained a lot about the ballots. And the ballots are a disaster.”
Trump has been campaigning against the large-scale use of vote-by-mail ballots for the upcoming elections, claiming, without any evidence, that Democrats will use them for voter fraud.
There are two types of vote-by-mail systems: universal vote-by-mail, where states send ballots to all eligible voters; and absentee voting, when an email is sent to a voter upon request. President Trump himself has voted by mail. In 2016, nearly a quarter of all polled votes were cast by mail.
More states are turning to the widespread use of vote-by-mail for the November 3 elections due to concerns about the current Covid-19 epidemic.
“Get rid of the ballots and you have a very … very peaceful … there will be no transfer, frankly,” Trump said at the briefing, adding that “there will be a follow-up.”
As before, President Trump’s refusal to compromise caused a storm.
“What country are we in? I’m kidding, ”Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential candidate, said when asked for a response to the president’s comments. “I said, what country are we in? Look, he says the most irrational things. I do not know what to say “.
The reaction also came from the Republicans. “Fundamental to democracy is the peaceful transition of power; without it, there is Belarus, “said Mitt Romney, a Republican senator and former presidential candidate, referring to unrest in the former Soviet nation caused by the incumbent president’s efforts to hold on to power in an allegedly rigged election.
“Any suggestion that a president does not respect this constitutional guarantee is unthinkable and unacceptable,” he added.
Liz Cheney, a Republican congresswoman, said: “The peaceful transfer of power is enshrined in our Constitution and is critical to the survival of our Republic. American leaders take an oath to the Constitution. We will keep that oath. “
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