Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) thinks there’s a strong chance Donald Trump will proclaim an early victory once polls close this Election Day.
During a Tuesday appearance on CNN’s “The Source,” Sanders offered anchor Kaitlan Collins a dire warning when she asked what will happen if Trump falsely declares himself the winner of the 2024 presidential race.
“It’s not ‘what if,’ Kaitlan. It is not ‘what if.’ He will,” the senator said. “Everybody should be aware.”
Sanders went on to predict that Trump would rush to announce he won before reminding his followers how “the only way” he could lose was through voter fraud.
“That is what will happen,” the Vermont politician continued. “This is why he has got to lose, because this is exactly how you undermine democracy: ‘The only way I can lose is if there is fraud.’ Well, that means you can’t lose a legitimate election.”
“We have to be prepared for that,” Sanders said, adding how “many” Trump voters are already convinced cheating is the only thing that can thwart their candidate.
In the run-up to Election Day, Trump has refused to outright commit to conceding if he does, in fact, lose. He’s also continued to claim his 2020 race against President Joe Biden was rigged despite irrefutable evidence there was no widespread election fraud.
Trump stayed on message while in Palm Beach, Florida, to cast his ballot Tuesday morning. While at his polling place, he told reporters, “If I lose an election, if it’s a fair election, I’m gonna be the first one to acknowledge it.”
Democracy In The Balance
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Sowing seeds of doubt hours later, the Republican took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to allege there was “massive cheating” going on in Philadelphia.