Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 09:36 pm
President-elect Donald Trump is enraged and viewing the recount as a personal insult. The problem is that it was Trump himself who raised doubts about the integrity of US elections by complaining that the election was going to be stolen from him.
Trump went on a Twitter bender on Sunday morning concerning the recount:
Hillary Clinton conceded the election when she called me just prior to the victory speech and after the results were in. Nothing will change
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— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2016
Hillary's debate answer on delay: "That is horrifying. That is not the way our democracy works. Been around for 240 years. We've had free —
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2016
and fair elections. We've accepted the outcomes when we may not have liked them, and that is what must be expected of anyone standing on a –
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2016
during a general election. I, for one, am appalled that somebody that is the nominee of one of our two major parties would take that kind —
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2016
of position." Then, separately she stated, "He said something truly horrifying … he refused to say that he would respect the results of —
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2016
of position." Then, separately she stated, "He said something truly horrifying … he refused to say that he would respect the results of —
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2016
Trump is going to be our President. We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead." So much time and money will be spent – same result! Sad
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2016
Trump spent the last month of the presidential election claiming that the election was going to be stolen from him. In Colorado, Trump claimed mail in ballots supporting him would be thrown away.
In October, Trump tweeted that the election was being stolen from him:
The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary – but also at many polling places – SAD
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2016
A Politico/Morning Consult poll found that 41% of registered voters believed that the election could be stolen from Trump.
Donald Trump is the person who sowed the seeds of doubt about this election. Those doubts don’t vanish because he won. The Hillary Clinton campaign has made it crystal clear that they don’t think the recount will change the results of the election, but they are participating because they feel like they owe it to their supporters.
It is troubling that the president-elect said nothing in his tweets to defend the integrity of our electoral system. In Donald Trump’s view, elections that he loses are rigged, and elections that he wins are fair.
Trump’s ranting about Hillary Clinton is misguided and out of touch with reality. Trump told the voters that the election was rigged, and as a consequence, voters are questioning the legitimacy of his win.
The president-elect created the climate for this recount. If he wants to blame someone for its existence, he needs to look in the mirror.
Because Donald Trump, you built this.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
