Trump says he’ll accept a clear result
GOP nominee reserves right to file lawsuit
WASHINGTON: Donald Trump has stepped back only slightly from his refusal to say during his debate with Hillary Clinton whether he would concede if he loses on Election Day, failing to stem the criticism that flowed from Republicans and Democrats over an attitude some contended struck at the heart of US democracy.
“I would like to promise and pledge to all of my voters and supporters and to all of the people of the United States that I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election,” Mr Trump said on Thursday (yesterday, Thai time) while campaigning in Ohio. After letting that vow hang in the air for a few seconds, he added, “if I win”.
Putting aside his mocking tone, Mr Trump said he would accept “a clear election result” but reserved his right to “contest or file a legal challenge” if he lost on Nov 8. He brushed off the likelihood of that happening with a confident prediction that “we’re not going to lose”.
Asked point-blank by a debate moderator on Wednesday whether he would accept the election result if he lost, the reality television star shattered that consensus. “I’ll look at it at the time. What I’ve seen is so bad,” he said, repeating unfounded allegations of vote rigging.
Asked again by the moderator, Mr Trump said: “I’ll tell you at the time. I’ll keep you in suspense, OK?” Ms Clinton and a phalanx of his fellow Republicans rushed to tell Mr Trump it was not “OK”.
Among those criticising Mr Trump was Sen John McCain, the Arizona Republican who lost to Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential race.
“I didn’t like the outcome of the 2008 election. But I had a duty to concede and I did so without reluctance,” Mr McCain said in a statement. “A concession isn’t just an exercise in graciousness. It is an act of respect for the will of the American people, a respect that is every American leader’s first responsibility.”
While Mr Trump maintained he would win, numerous Republican leaders conceded that he was heading for defeat barring a significant shift in the campaign’s closing days. The GOP’s top concern was turning to salvaging its majority in the Senate, followed closely by worries over the Republicans’ once comfortable grip on the House.
The annual Alfred E Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, a Catholic fundraiser in New York, was by tradition a moment when the Republican and Democratic nominees could turn any campaign vitriol into barbed humour and ultimately a show of national unity. The Thursday night event offered many hearty laughs — and a few awkward ones.
“We have proven we can actually be civil with each other,” Mr Trump said about the opponent he has asserted belongs in jail for alleged criminal acts. “In fact, just before taking the dais Hillary accidentally bumped into me and she very civilly said, ‘Pardon me’.” Following Mr Trump at the dinner, Ms Clinton cracked: “I didn’t think he’d be OK with a peaceful transition of power.”
But Mr Trump drew some boos and jeers when he referred to Ms Clinton being “so corrupt” and said without apparent humour that she was appearing at the event “pretending not to hate Catholics” — a line delivered during a benefit for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York.
Ms Clinton’s jokes were cutting but delivered in the more accepted fashion of a roast. While several women have accused Mr Trump of being sexually aggressive, Ms Clinton steered clear of that controversy but referenced his public comments about the appearance of women with whom he has feuded: “Donald looks at the Statue of Liberty and sees a four — maybe a five if she loses the torch and tablet and changes her hair.”
Mr Trump and Ms Clinton sat one seat apart for the evening, with New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan acting as the only buffer. And when they entered and took their seats, they did not greet each other or make eye contact. Mr Dolan later called his seat “the iciest place on the planet”.
During an Ohio rally earlier that day, Mr Trump tried to turn the attention to Ms Clinton by accusing her of “cheating” and suggesting she should “resign from the race”.
He cited a hacked email disclosed publicly by WikiLeaks that showed her campaign was tipped off about a question she’d be asked in a CNN town hall meeting during the Democratic primary.
“Can you imagine if I got the questions? They would call for the re-establishment of the electric chair. Do you agree?” Mr Trump said.