US Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has expressed fear that President Donald Trump will try to “steal” November’s election or not leave office if he loses, according to the White House on Thursday.
Biden further said, “My single greatest concern” is that “this president’s going to try and steal this election”.
His remarks on The Daily Show that aired late Wednesday came during a discussion of voter suppression, a spotlight issue this week following chaotic elections in some states including Georgia, where problem-plagued voting machines and hours-long lines frustrated voters.
“This is a guy who said all mail-in ballots are fraudulent”, the former Vice President added.
On being asked whether he ever considered that Trump might not leave office even he were not re-elected, Biden said that he has, but stated he believed the military, if needed, would assure a peaceful transition of power.
“I’m absolutely convinced they will escort him from the White House with great dispatch,” Biden said.
Trump has repeatedly tweeted ominous statements in recent weeks about voting, including a May 24 claim, without evidence, that “Democrats are trying to Rig the 2020 Election, plain and simple.”
Two days ago, President Trump took to Twitter and said that there was “NO WAY” that mail-in ballots would be “anything less than substantially fraudulent,” earned the president his first-ever fact check by Twitter, which labeled the post misleading.
Earlier in the month, Biden had crossed the threshold for the Democratic presidential nomination, locking up a contest for the White House with incumbent President.
Biden has effectively been his party’s leader since his last challenger in the Democratic primary, Bernie Sanders, ended his campaign in April.
The Democratic National Committee earlier postponed the party’s presidential nominating convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to August 17, the week before the Republican Party’s convention, scheduled for August 24 to 27 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Earlier, Trump’s re-election campaign had said in a statement that Biden has “had to adopt most of Bernie’s agenda” — policies that Trump has branded socialist.
But in a series of polls conducted in April, Biden leads Trump in head-to-head general election matchups by an average of 5.9 percent, according to the RealClearPolitics website.
The 2020 US presidential election is scheduled for Tuesday, November 3.