President Trump claimed in the early hours of Wednesday morning that his opponents were trying to cheat him of election victory, setting the scene for a bitter wrangle as votes were still being counted.
Trump won Florida but remained locked in tight battles elsewhere, although he appeared to have lost the crucial battleground of Arizona, according to a forecast by Fox News that angered his supporters.
Moments after Democratic nominee Joe Biden urged supporters to be patient while votes are counted, Trump took to Twitter to say: “We are up big, but they are trying to steal the election. We will never let them do it. Votes cannot be cast after the polls are closed!”
We are up BIG, but they are trying to STEAL the Election. We will never let them do it. Votes cannot be cast after the Polls are closed!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 4, 2020
Twitter quickly added a note to say the information in the tweet might be misleading.
During the run-up to Election Day, Trump frequently claimed, without evidence, that a surge in mail-in voters raised the prospect of electoral fraud.
His lawyers launched a string of challenges to limit the availability of mail-in ballots.
I will be making a statement tonight. A big WIN!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 4, 2020
Opponents believe he is laying the groundwork to challenge a defeat at the ballot box.
On Monday night, as early votes were trickling in, his campaign sent a fundraising email in the president’s name accusing the media and Democrats of trying to prevent his victory.
“This day has been historic. We are going to win and we are going to win big,” he wrote. “But the fake news media and their Democrat Partners will refuse to call the race. They will try to do whatever it takes to keep us from winning.”
