Kayleigh McEnany: Trump will accept "free and fair" election, no answer on if he loses
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Thursday that President Trump will "accept the results of a free and fair election," but did not specify whether he will commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses to Joe Biden.
Why it matters: Trump refused to say on Wednesday whether he would commit to a peaceful transition of power, instead remarking, "we're going to have to see what happens."
The big picture: Trump told reporters on Wednesday he believes the Supreme Court may have to decide the results of the 2020 presidential election, as he has ramped up continued claims that mail-in voting will result in widespread voter fraud.
- FBI Director Christopher Wray testified to the Senate Homeland Security Committee on Thursday that the agency has "not seen, historically, any kind of coordinated national voter fraud effort in a major election, whether it's by mail or otherwise."
What she's saying:
REPORTER: "Are the results legitimate only if the president wins?"
McENANY: "The president will accept the results of a free and fair election. He will accept the will of the American people."
REPORTER: "So for clarity, if he loses, and it's free and fair, he will accept them?"
McENANY: "I've answered your question. He will accept the results of a free and fair election."
Outside the White House on Thursday, Trump told reporters: "We want to make sure the election is honest and I'm not sure that it can be. I don't know that it can be with this whole situation — unsolicited ballots," per pool reports.
- "We have to be very careful with the ballots," he added.
