I’ll accept election results ‘if I win’

Donald Trump has said he would “totally accept” the result of the USA presidential election – “if I win” – mocking his critics who condemned his refusal in Wednesday night’s final debate to concede defeat if he lost.

Trump made the unprecedented assertion during the final presidential debate Wednesday. She said Trump, a former reality TV star, had in the past also complained that his show was unjustly denied a US television Emmy award.

U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump faces a formidable challenge on Wednesday when he and Democrat Hillary Clinton face off in their third and final debate as Trump tries to reverse his standing in an election that appears to be tilting away from him. Then after letting that vow hang in the air for a few seconds, he added, “If I win”.

Clinton’s campaign is confidently expanding into traditionally Republican states, while Trump’s narrow electoral path is shrinking. It ratcheted up Trump’s claims that the election was being rigged against him, and became the latest flashpoint in an unusually volatile race three weeks before voters go to the polls. Asked on Wednesday night by moderator Chris Wallace if he would commit to a peaceful transition of power, the businessman-turned-politician replied: “What I’m saying is that I will tell you at the time”. “How can you call him a con artist and risky and object to all the controversial things he says and then say, “But I’m still going to vote for him”?”

The Republican National Committee immediately disavowed Trump’s statement.

Even more damaging in terms of the picture being projected overseas is what Trump has done to the part of that picture involving the essential standards and practices that make American democracy work and keep the country politically stable.

The candidates also clashed over Russian Federation and the hacking of Democratic Party e-mails that US officials have blamed on President Vladimir Putin’s government.

Indeed, Trump supporters are already much less likely to believe that their votes will be counted accurately than are Clinton’s backers, or even than supporters of previous Republican presidential candidates. “That’s what you want from a president of the United States”, Obama said.

On Thursday, Trump tried to clarify his position but, if anything, made it worse.

He defended himself on groping charges by saying, “Nobody has more respect for women than I do”. Some people call you the elite. Trump asked supporters at a rally in Ohio.

Mrs. Clinton pointed to his complaints about his defeat in the Iowa primary, the lawsuit against Trump University and losing an Emmy for his reality TV show.

Asked about the Brazile email hacked by WikiLeaks, a CNN spokeswoman said: “To be perfectly clear, we have never, ever given a town hall question to anyone beforehand.”

The governor signed a pledge to support the GOP nominee, they say.

“Don’t be naive folks”, Trump warned, claiming the Clinton campaign “has paid people to disrupt our rallies and incite absolute total bedlam” triggering shouts of “Lock Her Up!”

Cases of vote fraud are rare in the USA and Trump has offered no evidence of widespread irregularities.

There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud. “If he loses it will not be because the system is “rigged” but because he failed as a candidate”.

As additional Florida votes were actually counted, Bush took a lead of around 50,000 votes out of 5.8 million cast, prompting some news organizations to reverse themselves and proclaim Bush the victor.

“I’m against it now, I’ll be against it after the election, I’ll be against it when I’m president”, she said.