‘If he loses, yes, I’ll know it was rigged’
Trump supporters see broad conspiracy against candidate
Election analysts overwhelmingly expect Donald Trump to lose the presidential race in less than two weeks, but his strongest supporters believe just the opposite will occur. They find solace in the candidate’s fiery attacks on “rigged” polls and buy his theories of a wide-ranging conspiracy between Democrats and the media to fix the Nov. 8 results.
“If he loses, yes, I’ll know it was rigged,” said Robin Chason of Quincy, Florida.
Some believe there could be violence and unrest if Trump followers believe he lost amid foul play.
“It’s going to be — I don’t want to say anarchy — but something close,” said Tony Bynum, 55, of Panama City, Florida.
“Trump’s going to win. The media is lying,” Bynum said. “I’m afraid to think what’s going to happen” if he loses, he said, floating a “very distinct possibility” there won’t be a peaceful transition of power.
President Barack Obama is helping rig the election on behalf of Democrat Hillary Clinton, said Larry Meots, 65, of Jacksonville, North Carolina. “He has a lot to do with the cover-up,” he said.
Conversations with dozens of Trump rally-goers this week in Florida and North Carolina revealed that Trump’s disaffected base, united by a belief that U.S. elites have forgotten them, is revved up by their candidate’s conspiratorial warnings about mischief against them at the highest levels of society.
“I think it could get ugly,” said Caleb Zufall of Tallahassee, who works in law enforcement. “My biggest concern is with the media. If Trump wins, I’m afraid they’re going to absolutely refuse to get behind him, refuse to report it. They’re going to incite violence.”
Trump backers are quick to dismiss polls showing Clinton with a consistent lead in enough states to win her the presidency, which have caused forecasters to rate her odds of victory at 86 percent or higher.
“I think it’s a bunch of bullsh— propaganda,” said Fred Jones, 71, of Atlanta, Georgia. “I don’t believe it.”
“You just can’t believe that crap,” said Russell Taylor of Thomasville, Georgia, a Trump campaign co-chair.
“Trump’s gonna win. He’s gonna blow her out,” he said, citing a panoply of pro-Trump yard signs and more enthusiasm for him than for Clinton in his personal conversations. “You get a feel for things.”
At an outdoor rally on a chilly Tuesday evening in Tallahassee, Trump fed his fans the red meat they find so exhilarating. His first mention of Clinton prompted “lock her up!” chants — a now-consistent feature at his rallies. “We have a nasty, nasty election. But we have the facts on our side,” he said to cheers.
A recent Morning Consult poll found that 81 percent of Trump supporters believe the election could be stolen from them as a result of pervasive voter fraud, even though studies find examples of it to be extremely rare. Trump has fanned the flames by becoming the first major party nominee in the modern era to refuse to commit to conceding the election if Clinton is deemed the winner.