Biden: Trump’s election comments disqualifying
.@VP: "The things that Donald Trump is saying and doing are genuinely a threat to the Democratic process." https://t.co/5fafB6mTJa
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) October 20, 2016
Vice President Biden on Thursday rebuked Donald Trump’s refusal to say whether he’ll accept the election’s results, arguing the GOP presidential nominee’s comments are disqualifying.
Biden, a prominent surrogate for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, said during a campaign event in Nashua, N.H., that Trump’s comments are “genuinely a threat” to democracy.
{mosads}“Speaking of meanness and pettiness, I’m going to be serious for a few moments about Trump. I’m not looking for any applause lines,” Biden said.
“I’ve seen an awful lot of people come and go, worked with eight presidents,” he continued. “The things that Donald Trump is saying and doing are genuinely a threat to the democratic process, which is based on trust.”
Biden said Trump is “disqualified” by his comments “because he’s questioning not only the legitimacy of our elections, but the legitimacy of democracy. You are attacking the very sense of the nation, whether we have a democratic system.”
“He plays into the hands of our enemies so uniquely,” Biden said. “Either he is so stupid that he doesn’t understand… it’s possible he doesn’t understand the damage he’s doing.”
Trump generated major buzz at Wednesday night’s final debate in Las Vegas by refusing to say if he’ll accept election results. The comment comes after weeks of the GOP nominee warning of a “rigged” election and urging supporters to monitor polling places to prevent widespread voter fraud.
The real estate mogul has faced backlash from critics and those within his party for declining to say whether he’ll accept the results. Following the debate, his running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, described it as a “wait and see approach” but noted that he’s “confident” they’ll accept the results if the vote is “fair.”
But at a Thursday afternoon rally in Ohio, Trump turned up the heat, saying he “will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election” taking a long pause before adding, “if I win.”
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