Former US President Donald Trump remains defiant and refuses to commit to accepting the results of the 2024 election if he loses to his Democratic rival and current President Joe Biden. In an interview with The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Wednesday, the 77-year-old reiterated his claims of election fraud, saying that he would only accept the results if he deemed the election to be fair.
Trump’s remarks come amid ongoing scrutiny over his allegations that the 2020 election was stolen from him. He, along with a group of Republicans, has consistently used these claims to undermine the legitimacy of Biden’s win. During the interview, Trump said, “If everything’s honest, I’ll gladly accept the results. If it’s not, you have to fight for the right of the country.” The former Republican president, who is running for a return to the White House, rallied supporters in Wisconsin and Michigan, among the most hotly contested states in his expected rematch with Democrat Biden in November.
Trump: If we don’t win this election, I don’t think our country is going to survive. I will say it, and I’ve never said that publicly. pic.twitter.com/MbkREu1VBd— Acyn (@Acyn) May 1, 2024
‘If we don’t win…’
The former president has made similar statements about 2020 polls in the past, which further sow doubts about the integrity of the electoral process in the country. Trump also addressed questions about political violence during an interview with Time magazine. When asked about the possibility of losing the 2024 election, Trump responded, “if we don’t win, you know, it depends. It always depends on the fairness of an election.”
This refusal to commit to accepting election results is consistent with Trump’s past behaviour. Throughout his presidency and beyond, he has repeatedly cast doubt on the validity of election outcomes. Trump’s persistent claims of election fraud have been at the center of his efforts to overturn his loss to Biden in 2020. These claims culminated in the violent storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, by a mob of his supporters.
Trump now faces numerous felony charges in connection with these events. Despite facing legal challenges and criticism from both sides of the political aisle, Trump shows no signs of backing down. He continues to promote claims about the 2020 election and has vowed to fight for what he perceives as the “right of the country.” Trump, who is the first former US president to face criminal charges, regularly claims that his indictments — three for alleged cheating in elections and one for hoarding classified documents — are being orchestrated as part of a political witch hunt, but never offers any evidence.
