As votes continue to trickle in from the remaining battleground states, it may only be a matter of hours or days until the winner of the election is decided if the candidates’ standing in the battleground states stays the same.
Former White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney was asked during an appearance on CNBC on Thursday what course of action he would recommend to President Donald Trump it appears that he has lost the election.
“I don’t think I’d have to make recommendations, cause I think I know what the president would do anyway,” he said, adding, “But, you asked the question, I’ll give the answer, which is I recommend that he accept a peaceful transition of power which I think he would do absolutely anyway.”
He continued to describe Trump as a fighter and predicted that his reelection campaign would fight “with everything they’ve got to the very end.”
“If the process runs and I expect it to run, and at the end of the process Joe Biden’s the president, you can absolutely guarantee a peaceful transition of power,” he added.
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In the months leading up to the presidential election, questions swirled about whether Trump would accept a peaceful transfer of power if he lost the election.
Former National Security Adviser John Bolton was asked if he believed his former boss would facilitate a peaceful transition, he said, “Well I certainly hope so, and I think it’s important for Republicans especially to make that clear.”
Trump has said he “absolutely” wants there to be a peaceful transition, though he added that he hoped that he would win the election.
He has also seemed to contradict that statement at times as he addressed whether he would accept the results of the election.
When asked if he would ensure that there is a peaceful transfer of power during a press conference, he said, “Well, we’re going to have to see what happens.”
“You know that I’ve been complaining very strongly about the ballots. And the ballots are a disaster,” he added.
Mulvaney’s comments come as Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden appeared to be on the cusp of clinching the necessary 270 electoral votes to win the presidency.
As of 12:30 p.m. EST on Thursday, Biden had 253 electoral votes and was leading in Arizona and Nevada. If those leads hold, Biden will become the next president.
Trump’s campaign has announced a flurry of legal challenges in several key states, which could prolong the outcome of the election.