During the campaign, Trump indicated in
Twitter posts, interviews and speeches that he might refuse to recognize the outcome of the election if he were defeated; Trump falsely suggested that the election would be
rigged against him.
[65][66][67] In July 2020, Trump declined to state whether he would accept the results, telling
Fox News anchor
Chris Wallace that "I have to see. No, I'm not going to just say yes. I'm not going to say no."
[68][69][70] Trump proposed delaying the presidential election due to
COVID-19, until Americans could vote "properly, securely and safely".
[71][a]
Trump repeatedly claimed that "the only way" he could lose would be if the election was "rigged" and repeatedly refused to commit to a
peaceful transition of power after the election.
[72][73] Trump also attacked
mail-in voting throughout the campaign, falsely claiming that the practice contained high rates of fraud.
[74][75][76] At one point, Trump said: "We'll see what happens...Get rid of the ballots and you'll have a very peaceful – there won't be a transfer, frankly. There will be a continuation."
[77] Trump's statements have been described as a threat "to upend the constitutional order".
[78] In September 2020, FBI Director
Christopher A. Wray, a Trump appointee, testified under oath that the FBI has "not seen, historically, any kind of coordinated national voter fraud effort in a major election, whether it's by mail or otherwise."
[79]
A number of congressional Republicans insisted that they were committed to an orderly and peaceful transition of power, but they declined to criticize Trump for his comments.
[80] On September 24, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution affirming the Senate's commitment to a peaceful transfer of power.
[81] Trump also stated that he expected the
U.S. Supreme Court to decide the election and that he wanted a conservative majority in the event of an election dispute, reiterating his commitment to quickly install a
ninth justice following the death of
Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
[82] But concerns were also raised about Republican acceptance of the election result. For example, on October 8 Republican Senator
Mike Lee tweeted "We're not a democracy" and "Democracy isn't the objective; liberty, peace, and prospefity (sic) are. We want the human condition to flourish. Rank democracy can thwart that."
[83