Donald Trump, who is still trailing in national polls, refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power should he lose November's election. POTUS was pressed on the matter during Wednesday's White House press briefing, raising more concerns that he will not accept a potential defeat or leave the office quietly.
"Well, we’re going to have to see what happens," Trump said, before reiterating his criticism of mail-in ballots. "You know that I've been complaining very strongly about the ballots and the ballots are a disaster. We'll want to have — get rid of the ballots and you'll have a very — we'll have a very peaceful — there won’t be a transfer frankly, there'll be a continuation [of power]. The ballots are out of control, you know it, and you know who knows it better than anybody else? The Democrats know it better than anybody else."
Though Trump has previously joked about extending his presidency past the two-term limit, he recently indicated he would peacefully leave the White House if failed to get reelected.
"Certainly, if I don't win, I don't win," he told Fox News’ Harris Faulkner in a June interview. "You go on and do other things. I think it would be a very sad thing for our country."
Trump made the comments shortly after Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden expressed concern that Trump would try to "steal the election" by sowing doubts over mail-in voting.
"This is a guy who said that all mail-in ballots are fraudulent, voting by mail, while he sits behind the desk in the Oval Office and writes his mail-in ballot to vote in a primary," Biden told The Daily Show host Trevor Noah.
The former vice president also said he was "absolutely convinced" Trump would be escorted out of the White House if he refused to leave after his defeat.
