Trump won’t say whether he’d contest election loss to Clinton, but former adviser predicts protests
On election night 2012, Donald Trump called for a “march on Washington” after President Obama defeated the Republican nominee, Mitt Romney, whom Trump endorsed.
We can’t let this happen. We should march on Washington and stop this travesty. Our nation is totally divided!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2012
Trump issued the call while predicting that Romney would win the popular vote but lose the electoral. (Obama won both.)
Needless to say, there was no march. But if Hillary Clinton defeats Trump in 2016, one of the Republican nominee’s former campaign advisers predicts there will be protests.
“I mean civil disobedience, not violence, but it will be a bloodbath,” Roger Stone told Breitbart News in a recent interview. “The government will be shut down if they attempt to steal this and swear Hillary in.”
Stone left Trump’s immediate orbit last year, but the veteran GOP consultant told Yahoo News last month that he keeps in touch with his former boss.
On Monday, Trump, who is currently trailing Clinton in national polls, told supporters at a rally in Ohio that the fix is coming.
“The election is going to be rigged,” he said.
And on Tuesday, Trump told the Washington Post that he wouldn’t rule out contesting its result if he lost.
“I don’t want to jump the gun. I don’t want to talk about that,” he said. “I’m just saying that I wouldn’t be surprised if the election … there’s a lot of dirty pool played at the election, meaning the election is rigged.”
Trump pointed to his experience in the Republican primary as evidence of muddy water.
“It started with me in Louisiana when I won Louisiana and I got fewer delegates than Ted Cruz,” Trump said. “I said, ‘Whoa! Whoa! What happens here?’ And then I polled well in Colorado. And instead of voting, the bosses picked it. I said, ‘What’s going on here?’
“It took me a little while to get accustomed to the world of politics,” Trump said. “And then once I did we started running them off. But, who would’ve thought that was going to happen? I win a state, I get fewer votes. Then, I poll great in Colorado and all of a sudden … the voters aren’t going to choose. The bosses are going to choose.”
Back in 2012, Trump blamed the Electoral College for Romney’s defeat, warned of voting machine malfunctions and called on his followers to “fight like hell and stop this great and disgusting injustice.”
More reports of voting machines switching Romney votes to Obama. Pay close attention to the machines, don’t let your vote be stolen
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 6, 2012
If you experience any harassment or heckling at the polling places from Obama supporters, make sure you report it immediately.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 6, 2012
Lets fight like hell and stop this great and disgusting injustice! The world is laughing at us.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2012
This election is a total sham and a travesty. We are not a democracy!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2012
Our country is now in serious and unprecedented trouble…like never before.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2012
Our nation is a once great nation divided!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2012
The electoral college is a disaster for a democracy.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2012
He also issued a now-familiar refrain.
We have to make America great again!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2012