US Presidential Election 2024: Trump raises possibilities of rigged polls

Both Trump and Harris are putting their efforts to have a great influence in these states through their speeches. Lately, Trump has been focusing his speeches on issues like illegal immigration, crime, manufacturing, jobs, and inflation, often ignoring his prepared script to speak off-the-cuff.

New York: With US elections scheduled for November 5, Donald Trump has raised the possibility of a rigged election, accusing the Democrats of trying to steal it. In a rally in Pennsylvania, he said, “They are fighting so hard to steal this damn thing,” referring to the moves to extend the polling hours, and warned about the possibilities of tampering with voting machines. The elections “have to be decided by 9 o’clock, 10 o’clock, and 11 o’clock on Tuesday night,” he said. He called the Democrats “crooked people.” They spend “all this money on machines, and they’re going to say, We may take an extra 12 days to determine the result.” And what do you think happens during those 12 days?” he questioned.

He asserted himself as the only one speaking about the election risk because no one else would do. “And then they accuse you of being a ‘theorist’,” he said, ‘“and they want to lock you up.” “The ones that should be locked up are the ones that cheat on these horrible elections that we go through in our country,” he further added.

Trump appears to be setting the stage to question the legitimacy of the elections if he loses. Still insisting that he won the 2020 elections, he said that he should have stayed in the office praising his accomplishments during his presidency, especially for border security, calling it “the safest border in US history.” He started his campaign from Pennsylvania and then later went to North Carolina and Georgia—the swing states that could determine his victory.

Both Trump and Harris are putting in their efforts to have a great influence in these states through their speeches. Lately, Trump has been focusing his speeches on issues like illegal immigration, crime, manufacturing, jobs, and inflation, often ignoring his prepared script to speak off-the-cuff. In Pennsylvania, he skipped the teleprompter almost entirely, saying he prefers speaking freely because it’s when “the truth comes out.”

During his speech at Pennsylvania, he stood behind the bulletproof glass, partly open toward the press, and joked that anyone aiming for him would have to “shoot through the fake news.” Although he admitted he could be hit, he shrugged it off, saying, “I don’t mind that so much.” However, he faced backlash from the critics over this statement, who accused him of encouraging violence against the media.

During his speech, Trump stood behind bullet-proof glass, partly open toward the press, and joked that anyone aiming for him would have to “shoot through the fake news.” Although he admitted he could be hit, he shrugged it off, saying, “I don’t mind that so much.” This comment drew backlash from critics who accused him of encouraging violence against the media. His Spokesperson Steven Cheung later clarified that Trump was not suggesting harm to journalists but “was actually looking out for their welfare, far more than his own.” He felt that the reporters were in great danger themselves and should have had a protective glass shield, too.

(With IANS inputs)