US President Donald Trump on Wednesday denied a peaceful transfer of power to Democratic rival Joe Biden if he loses the November 3 election, saying that he expected the election battle to end up before the Supreme Court.
“We’re going to have to see what happens,” Trump, a Republican, told reporters at the White House when asked whether he would commit to transferring power.
The president, who trails Biden in national opinion polls, has repeatedly cast doubt on the legitimacy of the election, asserting without evidence that mail-in voting would lead to fraud and a “rigged” outcome.
“The ballots are a disaster,” Trump said.
Democrats have encouraged voting by mail as a way to cast ballots safely during the coronavirus pandemic. Millions of Americans, including much of the military, have cast absentee ballots by mail for years without problems.
In 2016, Trump also raised questions about whether he would accept the results of the election. He went on to win the presidency.
Biden, speaking to reporters in Delaware, said Trump’s comments on the transition of power were “irrational.
“His campaign said it was prepared for any “shenanigans” from Trump, and reiterated comments from July that “the United States government is perfectly capable of escorting trespassers out of the White House.
“Mitt Romney, a rare Trump critic among Republican senators, said on Twitter: “Fundamental to democracy is the peaceful transition of power; without that, there is Belarus. Any suggestion that a president might not respect this Constitutional guarantee is both unthinkable and unacceptable.”
