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Former President Donald Trump addresses guests at a rally in Waukesha, Wisconsin, May 1, 2024.
CNN
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Former President Donald Trump refused to accept the results of the upcoming 2024 presidential election unconditionally in an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Wednesday.
“If everything is honest, I'm willing to accept the outcome. I'm unchanged about that,” President Trump said in an interview. “If not, we must fight for our country’s rights.”
It was the latest comment by President Trump as he sought to undermine confidence in the U.S. election system if he loses in November. In the interview, he repeated false claims that he won Wisconsin in the 2020 election and questioned whether the votes would be counted “honestly.”
President Trump told the Journal Sentinel: “If you go back and look at everything that's been found, it shows that I won the election in Wisconsin.” “I found out that I won elections in other places as well.”
In 2020, President Joe Biden won Wisconsin by a margin of about 21,000 votes, a victory of about 0.6 percentage points.
President Trump said if he thinks the 2024 election won't be “honest,” he will “let me know,” but he also said he expects that to happen.
“If I don't do that, I would be doing a disservice to the country,” Trump told the Journal Sentinel. “But no, I'm expecting an honest election and probably a very big victory.”
President Trump said, “But if everything is honest, which I expect we will be, a lot of changes have been made in the last few years, but if everything is honest, I absolutely I will accept the results.”
“I want people to vote honestly. I want their votes to be counted honestly. I don't want people to go to Congress and get it approved and just do it anyway,” Trump said.
The Biden campaign on Thursday condemned President Trump's comments.
“President Biden said, 'You can't love your country only when you win.' But for Donald Trump, his campaign for revenge and retribution is paramount,” his campaign said in a statement. “In his own words, he ruled as a dictator from 'day one,' using the military against the American people, punishing those who opposed him, and condoning violence committed on his behalf.” What is best for America?
“Bottom line: Trump is a danger to the Constitution and a threat to our democracy. The American people will continue to reject his extremism, love of violence, and thirst for revenge, and will continue to do so in this November’s election.” I will give him another defeat.”
President Trump has repeatedly claimed that the 2020 election was fraudulent or “stolen” despite there being no evidence of widespread voter fraud. Special Counsel Jack Smith indicted the former president last year, accusing him of violating several laws when he tried to overturn the election. President Trump denies the charges and has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges.
Throughout his political career, Trump has regularly refused to accept election results or concede defeat. After finishing second in the 2016 Iowa caucuses, Trump accused Texas Sen. Ted Cruz of fraud and called for a new campaign. Later, while facing Democrat Hillary Clinton, Trump baselessly claimed that the election he ultimately won was “rigged” and repeatedly refused to say whether he would abide by the results. He once again avoided making any promises for the 2024 election.
The potential Republican candidate appeared at a press conference with House Speaker Mike Johnson earlier this month, saying one of the purposes was to “draw attention” to the state's proposals and lawsuits that would allow non-citizens to vote. CNN previously reported.
Currently, federal law prohibits noncitizens from voting in federal elections. Noncitizens who vote illegally face fines, up to a year in prison and possible deportation. But President Trump has routinely falsely claimed that Democrats want to bring in illegal immigrants to influence the election, stoking fears about immigration and election security ahead of the November election. I'm about to try.
Trump returned to the campaign trail Wednesday for the first time since his criminal hush money trial in New York began in earnest last month. The presumptive Republican candidate spent the day hosting rallies in Wisconsin and Michigan, key battleground states he won in 2016 but lost to Biden in 2020.
This story has been updated with comment.
CNN’s Alayna Treene, Kristen Holmes, Steve Contorno and Alison Main contributed to this report.
