Trump won’t commit to peaceful transfer of power if he loses: ‘There won’t be a transfer’
WASHINGTON, DC -- President Donald Trump declined to commit to a peaceful transfer of power following November's election during a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.
Asked if he will leave the White House peacefully, if he loses the election, Trump responded, "Well, we're going to have to see what happens. You know that."
The president then shifted to a subject he has frequently brought up: ballots. For months, Trump has sought to undermine confidence in mail-in voting as the country grapples with how to safely cast ballots during the coronavirus pandemic.
"I've been complaining very strongly about the ballots and the ballots are a disaster," the president said.
When pressed for a second time if he would "commit to making sure that there's a peaceful transferral of power," Trump again turned to ballots, but this time as an answer suggesting that there won't be a transfer of power if there are no ballots.
"Get rid of the ballots," Trump added, "and you'll have a very peaceful -- there won't be a transfer, frankly. There'll be a continuation."
He then pivoted back to the ballots, saying, "the ballots are out of control. You know it. You know who knows it better than anybody else? The Democrats know better than anybody else."
Trump's lack of commitment to a peaceful transfer of power is unprecedented. A peaceful transition is a key aspect of American democracy. Even President Richard Nixon, during his first Inaugural Address in 1969, commented on the peaceful transfer of power, saying, "In the orderly transfer of power, we celebrate the unity that keeps us free."
In response to Trump's comments on committing to a peaceful transition of power, former Vice President Joe Biden's campaign is referring reporters back to a statement issued on July 19, when Trump gave a similar answer about accepting the results of the election to Fox News' Chris Wallace.
"The American people will decide this election," Biden campaign spokesman Andrew Bates said in the statement. "And the United States government is perfectly capable of escorting trespassers out of the White House."
This is not the first time Trump has stoked baseless fears of widespread voter fraud with mail-in ballots. He has frequently brought it up during rallies and on Twitter, which the social media platform has flagged marking the tweets as a violation of its "Civic Integrity Policy."
During an interview with Fox News earlier this year, Trump didn't commit to accepting the election results either, saying "I have to see."
The president's comments on Wednesday came just hours after protests began in Louisville and across the country, when a Kentucky grand jury indicted only one officer for allegedly endangering the neighbors of Breonna Taylor during the police shooting that killed her.
The summer was also filled with tension and unrest following the death of George Floyd, and outrage peaked as Trump deployed federal law enforcement to quiet protests in cities throughout the nation.
