President Obama on Tuesday told Donald Trump to stop whining about his claim that the election is “rigged” against him, and said he should be worried about getting votes on Nov. 8.
“And so, I’d advise Mr. Trump to stop whining and go try to make his case to get votes,” Obama said at the White House.
“And if he got the most votes, then it would be my expectation of Hillary Clinton to offer a gracious concession speech and pledge to work with him in order to make sure that the American people benefit from an effective government,” he said.
“And it would be my job to welcome Mr. Trump, regardless of what he has said about me or my differences with him on my opinions, and escort him over to the Capitol in which there would be a peaceful transfer of power,” Obama continued.
“That’s what Americans do. That’s why America is already great,” Obama said, turning Trump’s campaign slogan on its head. “One way of weakening America and making it less great is if you start betraying those basic American traditions that have been bipartisan and helped hold together this democracy now for well over two centuries.”
Obama said each nominee is responsible for helping ensure voters’ faith in the democratic process.
“I have never seen in my lifetime, or in modern political history, any presidential candidate trying to discredit the elections and the election process before votes have even taken place,” Obama said. “It’s unprecedented,” he said, using the phrase for the second time in the same news conference about Trump’s campaign style.
“It happens to be based on no facts,” Obama charged. “Every expert, regardless of political party… will tell you that instances of significant voter fraud are not to be found.”
Obama reminded Trump that elections are overseen and conducted at the most local levels, meaning that Republicans control some precincts, counties and states, just as Democrats control others. Florida, for example, has a Republican governor, he said.
“The notion that if Mr. Trump loses Florida it’s because of those people you have to watch out for, that is both irresponsible and, by the way, doesn’t really show the kind of leadership and toughness that you want out of a president,” Obama said. “If you start whining before the game’s even over… you start to blame someone else, then you don’t have what it takes to be in this job because there are a lot of times when things don’t go our way — or my way.”
