Trump fails to commit to poll outcome
Republican candidate Donald Trump on Wednesday would not commit to accepting the outcome of the November 8 US presidential election if he loses, challenging a cornerstone of American democracy and sending shockwaves across the political spectrum.
Trump’s refusal, which his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton called “horrifying”, was the standout remark of their third and final debate and ratcheted up claims he has made for weeks that the election was rigged against him.
Asked by moderator Chris Wallace whether Trump would not commit to a peaceful transition of power, the businessman-turned-politician replied: “What I’m saying is that I will tell you at the time. I’ll keep you in suspense. Ok?”
Trump’s statement may appeal to his anti-establishment followers, but it was unlikely to reverse opinion polls that show him losing, including in key states that will decide the election. “That is not the way our democracy works,” Clinton said during the debate. “We’ve been around for 240 years. We’ve had free 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 debate stage during a general election.”
Later she said: “What he said tonight is part of his whole effort to blame somebody else for where he is in his campaign.”
A CNN/ORC snap poll said 52 percent thought Clinton, the former US secretary of state, won the debate while 39 percent said Trump was the victor.
In financial markets Mexico’s peso currency, seen as a measure of Trump’s prospects, rose to its highest level in six weeks at the end of the debate, suggesting growing investor confidence of a Clinton victory.
Mainstream Republicans were quick to denounce the comment. US Senator Lindsey Graham, a former Republican presidential candidate said: “If he loses, it will not be because the system is ‘rigged’ but because he failed as a candidate.”
Bill Kristol, editor of The Weekly Standard political magazine, tweeted: “I deplore what Trump said and refused to say about accepting the election results. Confirms one’s judgment he shouldn’t be president.”
Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway yesterday defended the comment in a round of television interviews, saying he was “putting people on notice” about voting irregularities.
Trump’s running mate, vicepresidential nominee Mike Pence, said Trump “will accept the outcome” because he is going to win.
Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Kaine blasted Trump’s stance as “shocking” and a threat to American democracy.
In a debate that for the first time focused more on policy than character, the two candidates nonetheless lashed out at each other.
Trump, 70, called Clinton “such a nasty woman”, and said both she and President Barack Obama were behind disturbances at his rallies.
He said the Clinton Foundation was a criminal enterprise and as a result she should not have been allowed to seek the presidency.
Clinton, 68, said Trump himself had incited violence, belittled women and posed a danger to the US.
Trump said all of the stories of sexual misdeeds were “totally false” and suggested Clinton was behind the charges.
He called her campaign “sleazy” and said: “Nobody has more respect for women than I do, nobody.”
Clinton said the women came forward after Trump said in the last debate he had never made unwanted advances on women. In a 2005 video, Trump was recorded bragging about groping women against their will.
“Donald thinks belittling women makes him bigger. He goes after their dignity, their self-worth and I don’t think there is a woman anywhere who doesn’t know what that feels like,” said Clinton.
The two candidates also had a spirited exchange on abortion, gun rights and immigration during the showdown.
Clinton said she would raise taxes on the wealthy to help fund the US government’s social security retirement programme.
She said Trump, who Forbes says is worth $3.7 billion (R51.5bn), would be paying higher taxes too unless he can get out of it.
Trump and Clinton battled sharply over the influence of Vladimir Putin, with Clinton calling Trump the Russian president’s puppet and Trump charging Putin had repeatedly outsmarted Clinton.
Clinton and Trump walked straight to their podiums when they were introduced at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, once again forgoing the traditional handshake as they did at the second debate last week in St Louis, Missouri. This time they did not shake hands at the end of the debate either.