The Independent uses reporters all over the world to bring you truly independent journalism. To support us, please consider making a contribution.
MSNBC host Rachel Maddow admitted in an interview that she was worried about Donald Trump trying to stay in power should he lose the 2020 US election.
Mrs. Maddow made the admission during a performance on “The Tonight Show.”
During the segment, she and host Jimmy Fallon reviewed the book written by Mr. Trump’s uncle, Mary Trump, entitled “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Made the World the Most Dangerous Man.”
Download the new Independent Premium app
Share the full story, not just the headlines
Mrs Maddow said the part of the book that “cool me the most” was a prediction. Ms Trump made it clear that he would not agree to leave the White House alone if he lost the election.
“I do not know if that is true,” Maddow said. “But for her to say ‘Listen, I’ve known him since I was a kid, I’ve known him since I was a toddler, and I can tell you about a true value of a life and all the other hard things that I have never seen him go on, there is no way. “
Political commentators as well as past and present lawmakers have expressed concern about Mr Trump’s commitment to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the election.
“But to hear someone who knows him say that flat out, without a doubt, has rattled my teeth a little bit,” Mrs. Maddow said.
Mr. Trump has signaled for weeks that he intends to question the election results if he loses. He has claimed that the Democrats are trying to rig the election against him and commit voter fraud on a massive scale by using universal post-in-vote.
In an interview with Chris Wallace on Fox News, Mr. Trump declined to say he would accept the election results.
“I have to see. Look … I have to see,” Mr. Trump said. “No, I will not just say yes. I will not say no and I have not done so lately.”
Back in June, Mr. Trump said if he lost the election he would “go ahead, do other things.”
“Sure, if I do not win, I will not win,” Mr. Trump said.
Despite Mr. Trump’s assurances, political experts fear that he may not be ready to just ‘go on’, and that his abstinence could result in outbreaks of violence.
A group of 80 political operatives and academics met in June and role-played scenarios after elections, all of which resulted in violence.
“All of our scenarios ended in both street violence and political unrest,” said Rosa Brooks, a professor of rights and policy at Georgetown University. The Boston Globe. “The law is essentially … it is almost entirely without a president who is willing to ignore it.”
Ms Brooks said the scenarios were not predictions but possibilities.
“Our scenario exercises do not end up in the right places, but it is important to note that this does not mean that there is anything imperishable about chaos and constitutional crisis in the coming months,” she said. “Just that these particular exercises suggest that these are real possibilities.”
Ms Brooks said that “state governors, attorneys general, legislators and state secretaries need to think through these issues now, and understand the electoral system and relevant law, and not wait until election day to think about anything that could go wrong.”
.
