CTV News, Washington :
Donald Trump has stepped back only slightly from his refusal to say during his debate with Hillary Clinton whether he would concede if he loses on Election Day, failing to stem the criticism that flowed from Republicans and Democrats over an attitude some contended struck at the heart of American democracy.
“I would like to promise and pledge to all of my voters and supporters and to
all of the people of the United States that I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election,” Trump said Thursday while campaigning in Ohio. After letting that vow hang in the air for a few seconds, he added, “if I win.”
Putting aside his mocking tone, Trump said he would accept “a clear election result” but reserved his right to “contest or file a legal challenge” if he lost on Nov. 8. He brushed off the likelihood of that happening with a confident prediction that “we’re not going to lose.” Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, left, speaks at the 71st Annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner in New York as Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, right, watches, Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016.
Among those criticizing Trump was Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republican who lost to Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential race. “I didn’t like the outcome of the 2008 election. But I had a duty to concede, and I did so without reluctance,” McCain said in a statement. “A concession isn’t just an exercise in graciousness. It is an act of respect for the will of the American people, a respect that is every American leader’s first responsibility.” While Trump maintained he would win, numerous Republican leaders conceded that he was heading for defeat barring a significant shift in the campaign’s closing days. The GOP’s top concern was turning to salvaging its majority in the Senate, followed closely by worries over the Republicans’ once comfortable grip on the House.
The annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, a Catholic fundraiser in New York, was by tradition a moment when the Republican and Democratic nominees could turn any campaign vitriol into barbed humour and ultimately a show of national unity.
Donald Trump has stepped back only slightly from his refusal to say during his debate with Hillary Clinton whether he would concede if he loses on Election Day, failing to stem the criticism that flowed from Republicans and Democrats over an attitude some contended struck at the heart of American democracy.
“I would like to promise and pledge to all of my voters and supporters and to
all of the people of the United States that I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election,” Trump said Thursday while campaigning in Ohio. After letting that vow hang in the air for a few seconds, he added, “if I win.”
Putting aside his mocking tone, Trump said he would accept “a clear election result” but reserved his right to “contest or file a legal challenge” if he lost on Nov. 8. He brushed off the likelihood of that happening with a confident prediction that “we’re not going to lose.” Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, left, speaks at the 71st Annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner in New York as Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, right, watches, Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016.
Among those criticizing Trump was Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republican who lost to Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential race. “I didn’t like the outcome of the 2008 election. But I had a duty to concede, and I did so without reluctance,” McCain said in a statement. “A concession isn’t just an exercise in graciousness. It is an act of respect for the will of the American people, a respect that is every American leader’s first responsibility.” While Trump maintained he would win, numerous Republican leaders conceded that he was heading for defeat barring a significant shift in the campaign’s closing days. The GOP’s top concern was turning to salvaging its majority in the Senate, followed closely by worries over the Republicans’ once comfortable grip on the House.
The annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, a Catholic fundraiser in New York, was by tradition a moment when the Republican and Democratic nominees could turn any campaign vitriol into barbed humour and ultimately a show of national unity.
