President-elect Joe Biden pledged during the first presidential debate that he would not “declare victory until the election is independently certified.”
“Vice President Biden, final question for you. Will you urge your supporters to stay calm while the vote is counted? And will you pledge not to declare victory until the election is independently certified?” debate moderator Chris Wallace asked on Sept. 29.
“Yes. And here’s the deal: We count the ballots, as you pointed out. Some of these ballots in some states can’t even be opened until Election Day. And if there’s thousands of ballots, it’s going to take time to do it,” Biden responded.
“And by the way, our military … they’ve been voting by ballots since the end of the Civil War, in effect. And that’s what’s going to happen. Why is it, for them, somehow not fraudulent? It’s the same process. It’s honest. No one has established at all that there is fraud related to mail-in ballots, that somehow it’s a fraudulent process,” he added.
President Trump was asked the same question and said he urged his supporters to watch the polls personally.
“I’m urging my supporters to go into the polls and watch very carefully because that’s what has to happen. I am urging them to do it. As you know, today, there was a big problem. In Philadelphia, they went in to watch. They’re called poll watchers, a very safe, very nice thing. They were thrown out. They weren’t allowed to watch. You know why? Because bad things happen in Philadelphia. Bad things. And I am urging my people. I hope it’s going to be a fair election, if it’s a fair election,” the president said.
“But if I see tens of thousands of ballots being manipulated, I can’t go along with that,” he added.
“These people aren’t equipped to handle it, No. 1. No. 2, they cheat. They cheat. Hey, they found ballots in a wastepaper basket three days ago, and they all had the name military ballots. There were military. They all had the name Trump on them,” he continued.
Media outlets called the election for Biden last Saturday, with the former vice president delivering a victory speech later that day. States must formally certify their election results on Dec. 8.
“For all those of you who voted for President Trump, I understand the disappointment tonight. I’ve lost a couple of times myself. But now, let’s give each other a chance,” Biden said. “It’s time to put away the harsh rhetoric, lower the temperature, see each other again, listen to each other again. And to make progress, we have to stop treating our opponents as enemies.”
Trump has contested the election results, citing voter fraud and launching legal pursuits in states such as Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Nevada.
“Our campaign will start prosecuting our case in court to ensure election laws are fully upheld and the rightful winner is seated,” Trump said in a statement on Saturday. “The American People are entitled to an honest election: that means counting all legal ballots, and not counting any illegal ballots.”
