HILLARY ADDS FINAL DEBATE TO HER KITTY
Republican presidential candidate says he would accept results of next month’s election only if he wins
Las Vegas, Oct. 20: Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has won the third and final presidential debate with her Republican rival Donald Trump by an impressive 13 percentage points after a feisty fight here, according to a poll.
Las Vegas, Oct. 20: Republican White House hopeful Donald Trump said on Thursday that he would accept a “clear election result” next month if he wins, but reserved the right to challenge the outcome if he felt it was “questionable”.
Earlier he had thrown hints that he may not accept defeat in the presidential polls which he has been saying is “rigged”, stunning the political scene threatening to overturn US’ democratic convention of a smooth transfer of power.
His stance drew a sharp attack from Hillary Clinton as the two faced off in the feisty final presidential debate in which she was declared the winner.
The controversial 70year-old Republican candidate had maintained that he would keep the suspense about accepting the election result till November 8.
“I will look at it at the time. I’m not looking at anything now,” he had said in response to a question whether he would accept the poll results, during the third presidential debate at the University of Nevada here.
“I will tell you at that time. I will keep you in suspense,” he had said in the primetime debate that lasted for over 90 minutes, reiterating that the current elections are rigged.
“The media is so dishonest and so corrupt and the pile on is so amazing, The New York Times wrote an article about it.
They don’t even care, it’s so dishonest, they’ve poisoned the minds of the voters, but unfortunately for them, I think the voters are seeing through it,” he had said.
Trump’s comments at the Las Vegas showdown marked a stunning moment that has never been seen in the weeks before a modern US presidential election, CNN said.
“The stance threatens to cast doubt on one of the fundamental principles of American politics — the peaceful, undisputed transfer of power from one president to a successor who is recognized as legitimate after winning an election,” it had said.
Trump’s remarks had come after moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News said the peaceful transfer of power, a hallmark of American democracy, depends on the losing candidate accepting the validity of the electoral results.
Clinton, described her rival’s refusal to accept the outcome of the election as “horrifying”, and even went so far as to paint him as a “puppet” of Russian president Vladimir Putin.
“He is denigrating and he is talking down our democracy,” said the former secretary of state,” Clinton said.
“And I, for one, am appalled that someone who is the nominee of one of two major parties would take that position.”
Trump called Clinton “such a nasty woman” after she attacked his personal record on paying no income tax for years.
Meanwhile, Trump’s assertion that “nobody has more respect for women” than him evoked laughter from the audience.