President Donald Trump on Wednesday would not commit to providing a peaceful transition of power after Election Day, lending further fuel to concerns he may not relinquish his office should he lose in November. "We're going to have to see what happens," Trump said when asked whether he'd commit to a peaceful transition, one of the cornerstones of American democracy.
Trump said his rival Joe Biden would only prevail in November if the election is "rigged," and suggested earlier in the day it was likely the results of the election would be contested all the way to the Supreme Court.
Asked again on Thursday whether he could accept the election results, he demurred. "No. I have to see," Trump said. "Look you -- I have to see. No, I'm not going to just say yes. I'm not going to say no.”
U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday said there would be an “orderly” transition following the Nov. 3 presidential election, one day after Trump declined to commit to a peaceful transfer of power. “The winner of the November 3rd election will be inaugurated on January 20th. There will be an orderly transition just as there has been every four years since 1792,” McConnell tweeted.
Today, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a resolution to reaffirm the commitment of the U.S. Senate to a peaceful transition of power as called for in the Constitution of the United States.