Just as reports indicated he would, President Donald Trump tried to prematurely declare victory before all of the votes have been counted in a tweet that was tagged as misleading by Twitter.
Just before midnight on Election Day despite former Vice President Joe Biden leading the electoral vote count 221 to 213 with millions of votes still left to count in swing states, Trump sent out a tweet declaring a “big win” and claimed Democrats are trying to steal the race by counting all the votes.
I will be making a statement tonight. A big WIN!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 4, 2020
We are up BIG, but they are trying to STEAL the Election. We will never let them do it. Votes cannot be cast after the Polls are closed!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 4, 2020
Trump then spoke from inside a fortified White House to claim victory again even though many states have not been called yet because the result is either too close or there are still a large number of absentee votes that have not been counted.
“This is a fraud on the American public,” Trump said. “This is an embarrassment to our country. We were getting ready to win this election. Frankly, we did win this election.”
Again, Trump has NOT won the election and there have been no real instances of fraud being perpetrated. Yet, Trump went on to say that he is going to ask the Supreme Court to intervene and stop the remaining votes from being counted.
Biden immediately responded to Trump’s tweet.
It’s not my place or Donald Trump’s place to declare the winner of this election. It’s the voters’ place.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) November 4, 2020
And Twitter exploded in anger at Trump’s irresponsible attempt to undermine democracy.
No, Trump has not already won the election, and it is deeply irresponsible for him to say he has.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) November 4, 2020
.@NicolleDWallace on Trump: “This is straight-up autocratic malarkey.”
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) November 4, 2020
Trump has not won this election. And when all the votes are counted, we will say adiós to Donald Trump.
— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) November 4, 2020
Some of us have been predicting for months EXACTLY this scenario and EXACTLY what Trump is doing — not because we are so prescient but b/c he TOLD US he was going to do EXACTLY this.
— John Heilemann (@jheil) November 4, 2020
True to form, the man Russian helped become president is delegitimizing US democracy as no American president has ever done. The damage associated with Trump’s lies tonight is already immense even if his likely defeat is certified.
— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) November 4, 2020
If there was ever a moment for Trump’s most shameless enablers—you know who you are—to draw a line and defend the institutions of our country, this would be it.
The president is subverting democracy. He is attempting to delegitimize hundreds of thousands of legally cast votes.
— Tim Alberta (@TimAlberta) November 4, 2020
Trump has effectively declared a coup.
— Gary Younge (@garyyounge) November 4, 2020
. @realDonaldTrump “frankly, we already won the election.”
This is a LIE
There is no way of knowing this.
There are almost 2mm votes in PA NOT YET COUNTED— Stephanie Ruhle (@SRuhle) November 4, 2020
So telling that Trump called for the vote counting to proceed as quickly as possible in every state where he’s trailing and to be stopped in every state where he’s leading.
This is what authoritarian despots do.
— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) November 4, 2020
You can search my online comments as much as you want, you will never find me labelling Trump a “fascist”. Until now. Declaring victory prematurely like that and demanding a stop to LEGITIMATE VOTES BEING COUNTED LIKE EVERY SINGLE ELECTION is the action of a fascist. Full stop. https://t.co/zutnep0fyN
— James A. Janisse (@JamesAJanisse) November 4, 2020
It could be days before Pennsylvania can be called one way or another and the same can be said of other states. Trump’s desperation is showing and it’s time for Republicans to call him out.
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