Democrats have plan in case Trump declares his victory prematurely
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump (photo: Getty Images)
Republican candidate for the US presidential election, Donald Trump, may attempt to prematurely declare victory, similar to his actions in 2020. The Democrats are preparing an operational response in case such a situation arises, reports Reuters.
This week, the Republican candidate expressed to reporters his hope of declaring victory on Election Day. However, experts warn that the final results may take several days to become clear, especially if there are recount requests in key regions.
In the US, election winners are typically announced by leading media outlets, which analyze the vote counts provided by election commissions. While candidates sometimes declare victory before the media's count, it is unusual to do so before a clear winner is established.
"We are sadly ready if he does and, if we know that he is actually manipulating the press and attempting to manipulate the consensus of the American people ... we are prepared to respond," Harris said in an interview with ABC on Wednesday.
She did not provide any specifics about these preparations. However, six representatives from the Democratic Party and the Harris campaign indicated that the initial battle against any premature victory claims by Trump would take place in the court of public opinion. They plan to fill social media and television broadcasts with demands that all votes be counted before any victory announcement.
"As soon as he (Trump) falsely declares victory, we're ready to get up on TV and provide the truth and tap a broad network of people who can use their influence to push back," a top official with the Democratic National Committee said in an interview.
A senior Harris campaign official stated during a conference call with reporters on Friday that they fully expect Trump to falsely declare victory on the evening of Tuesday, November 5, before all votes are completely counted.
Trump's campaign position
At the same time, Trump's key ally Steve Bannon stated that the candidate should quickly declare victory.
"He should stand up and say, 'Hey, I've won this,'" Bannon said.
One of Trump's donors, Bill Bin, who had previously criticized the former president, told Reuters that he hopes for a victory for either Harris or Trump by a significant margin so that the results are recognized by the broader public.
The Trump campaign informed the agency that the Republican candidate will be fighting for all votes until the polls close. However, they did not provide a direct answer to the question of whether Trump plans to declare victory again before the election results are officially announced.
No Republican firewall
In 2020, Trump declared himself the winner early in the morning after Election Day, three days before major networks confirmed his opponent's victory.
Ultimately, he lost to Democratic candidate Joe Biden. Trump never acknowledged the results and continues to falsely claim that he was robbed through widespread fraud.
His premature declaration of victory in 2020 was condemned by Democrats and many high-ranking Republicans. However, this time, the situation might be different.
In recent years, the former president has established near-total control over the Republican Party. Some political strategists do not rule out that many influential conservatives may be more willing to align with his demands.
"We've seen plenty of evidence that he is in complete control of the party ... and we've seen no evidence that party officials or elected officials will push back," said Chip Felkel, a long-time Republican strategist who is critical of Trump.
Trump and his Republican allies have also spent months preparing to contest a potential loss. They have claimed that non-citizens may attempt to vote for the Democratic Party and are assembling a legal army to challenge the results in court.
At his rallies, Trump often emphasizes the need to ensure their victory is too big to be stolen.
US presidential election
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are the main rivals in the upcoming US presidential election scheduled for Tuesday, November 5.
According to the latest polling data, the candidates' ratings have nearly equalized.
In some states, there are concerns about violent protests in the event of a Republican loss.
Meanwhile, Trump has sued CBS over an interview with Kamala Harris, demanding $10 billion in compensation.
