The president brought up the issue of mail-in ballots in a press conference Wednesday after a reporter asked if he would commit to a peaceful transition if he failed to win the 2020 election, ABC News reports.
What We Know:
- Trump’s refusal to commit to a peaceful transition of power is unprecedented, with his predecessors all contributing to a respectful exchange of the White House. “Well, we’re going to have to see what happens. You know that,” he said when asked Wednesday. “I’ve been complaining very strongly about the ballots and the ballots are a disaster,” Trump added.
- Mail-in ballots have been a hot topic in election conversation as lawmakers seek to find a safe way for citizens to cast their vote during the COVID-19 pandemic. President Trump has sought to condemn the voting alternative as he says it gives an advantage to Democratic candidates. “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,” he said. He added that if they “get rid of the ballots” there will be no transition, just a continuation of his administration.
- Democratic nominee Joe Biden commented on Trump’s remarks Wednesday saying the president “says the most irrational things” and that though he didn’t know what to say at the moment, Trump’s suggestion did not surprise him. Biden was not the only one to speak out against Trump’s comments. Utah Senator Mitt Romney said they were “unthinkable” and “unacceptable” in a tweet.
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.
— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) September 24, 2020
- This is not the first time Romney has spoken out against Trump. The former Republican presidential nominee also voted to remove Trump from office after the president’s impeachment by the House.
Trump’s remarks come at a pivotal time in the 2020 race for the White House. As polls show the election getting even closer, the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg has created political turmoil around the selection of her successor.
