President Donald Trump is slapping down a report that claims he will declare victory early in the 2020 presidential election.
The president is denying a report by Axios published over the weekend, telling reporters in Charlotte, N.C., on Sunday, “That was a false report.”
“I think it’s a terrible thing when ballots can be collected after an election. I think it’s a terrible thing when people or states are allowed to tabulate ballots for a long period of time after the election is over because it can only lead to one thing,” Trump continued.
He added, “I think it’s terrible when we can’t know the results of an election the night of the election…We’re going to go in the night of, as soon as that election’s over, we’re going in with our lawyers.”
See Trump’s comments below:
President Trump: "I think it's terrible that we can't know the results of an election the night of the election." pic.twitter.com/YTAlDRjNzE
— The Hill (@thehill) November 1, 2020
Axios’ Jonathan Swan reported, citing three anonymous sources, that Trump suggested he would declare victory early if it appears to look like he is ahead of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
Following the report, Biden said, “My response is the president is not going to steal this election,” as IJR reported.
Additionally, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said in a statement in response, “It comes as no surprise that Donald Trump and his campaign plan to declare victory before all the votes are counted. That has been his strategy for months, and nobody should fall for it.”
Trump said at a rally in Iowa on Sunday “let’s see what the hell happens” regarding accepting the results of the election, adding, “I don’t know why it takes so long, but it takes a long time,” as IJR also reported.
Election Day is on Tuesday, and both Biden and Trump have a busy Monday seeking the votes of those in battleground states.