Trump baselessly calls mail balloting 'a whole big scam'

A day after President Donald Trump’s refusal to commit to a peaceful transfer of power drew rebukes from Democrats, nervous distancing from Republicans and attempts at reassurance from the White House, Trump weighed in again Thursday and said that he was not sure the November election could be “honest” because mail-in ballots are “a whole big scam.”

“We want to make sure that the election is honest and I’m not sure that it can be,” Trump told reporters before leaving the White House for North Carolina.

Trump was responding to a reporter’s question about whether he would consider the November election results legitimate only if he wins.

Also Read: Donald Trump signs healthcare executive orders that may have little impact

Instead of repeating his press secretary’s assurance earlier in the day that he would accept the results of a “free and fair” election, Trump instead launched into his latest complaint about mail-in ballots, which he has repeatedly asserted without evidence are likely to be tainted by widespread fraud, and suggested that the election will not, in fact, be fairly decided.

“So, we have to be very careful with the ballots. The ballots — you know, that’s a whole big scam,” Trump said, citing what he said were news reports about ballots found “in a river” and a trash can.

Earlier in the day, Christopher Wray, the director of the FBI, told lawmakers that he had not seen evidence of a “coordinated national voter fraud effort,” undercutting Trump’s effort to stoke fears about mail-in ballots.

The president’s remarks struck a different tone from that of other prominent Republicans, who spent the day making it clear that they were committed to the orderly transfer of power. His refusal Wednesday to commit to accepting the results of November’s election — something no other modern president has put in doubt — led Democrats to condemn him as a threat to American democracy.

On Thursday, Trump cited an August comment by his 2016 opponent, Hillary Clinton, who said that former Vice President Joe Biden “should not concede under any circumstances.” But Clinton was referring only to election night itself, warning that a final, accurate tally may not be known until days or weeks later, in part because of potentially late-arriving mail-in votes Trump aims to discredit.