Donald Trump’s warnings that the election may be “rigged” against him are resonating with voters.
A new survey finds just 38% of Trump’s supporters believe their votes will be counted accurately. That same survey showed only 49% of all voters think their votes will be counted accurately in November.
Additionally, Trump’s warnings about a fixed election aren’t just political rhetoric, it’s something he truly believes. From Politico:
According to two long-time Trump associates, the notion of a fixed election isn’t just viewed as smart politics inside Trump Tower; it’s something the GOP nominee believes.
“If he loses, [he’ll say] ‘It’s a rigged election.’ If he wins, he’ll say it was rigged and he beat it. And that’s where this is headed no matter what the outcome is,” said one Trump ally. “If Donald Trump loses, he is going to point the finger at the media and the GOP establishment. I can’t really picture him giving a concession speech, whatever the final margin.”
“It’s the same as how he looks at the polls,” said another close Trump confidant. “Any poll that shows him ahead, he likes. Any poll that shows him behind, he thinks it’s rigged.”
That sets the stage for Trump to make a claim about the legitimacy of the election if he loses in November.
“We’ve never had a presidential candidate who has questioned the legitimacy of an electoral outcome nationally,” said Dan Senor, who was a foreign policy adviser to Mitt Romney’s 2012 campaign. “This does take us to a whole new world if the actual presidential candidate is questioning the legitimacy of this process, and the damage to our democracy could be substantial.”
