Biden says 'the only way' he can lose in November is through 'chicanery' at the polls and accuses Trump of 'putting people with rifles in polling places' - increasing fears that NEITHER side will accept an election defeat
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said on Saturday 'the only way' he could lose to President Donald Trump was through 'chicanery' at poling places.
'Here's the deal guys, you've gotta make sure you go out and vote, because the only way we lose this is by the chicanery going on relative to polling places,' Biden said on Saturday at a campaign event in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Biden accused Trump of 'trying to put people in polling places. The same guys you saw standing, blocking people's way in Virginia with banners and rifles slung across their shoulders.'
He appeared to be referring to a pro-Trump demonstration at an early in-person polling site in Fairfax, Virginia on September 19. Photos and video from the event do not show anyone in the group openly carrying a firearm.
'The only way we lose this is by the chicanery going on relative to polling places,' Biden said on Saturday at a campaign event in Erie, Pennsylvania
Supporters hold up signs as they await the arrival of Joe Biden at Erie International Airport
As you can see here they are blocking the entrance to the voting site. #EarlyVoting #VA #FairFax pic.twitter.com/KJ6fbLdP3G
— Anthony Tilghman ● (@AnthonyTilghman) September 19, 2020
As you can see here they are blocking the entrance to the voting site. #EarlyVoting #VA #FairFax pic.twitter.com/KJ6fbLdP3G
County election officials in Virginia said that the group stayed about 100 feet from the entrance to the building and, contrary to posts on social media, were not directly blocking access to the building.
However, they acknowledged that some voters and polling staff members felt intimidated by the group, who waved American flags, Trump banners, and the flag of former South Vietnam, a common anti-Communist symbol. They chanted 'four more years.'
Before leaving the state, Biden told reporters his comments were 'taken a little out of context' and added that 'I'm going to accept the outcome of this election, period.'
Biden has previously said that his single greatest concern was Trump trying to 'steal' the victory. His campaign has recruited hundreds of lawyers and volunteers to prevent Election Day chaos.
Trump's campaign has accused Biden of lying and stoking fear.
Trump himself has frequently disparaged mail-in voting, which is expected to rise to record levels this year due to the pandemic.
On Saturday, he retweeted out news articles regarding numerous examples of ballot fraud or blunders in printing and sending mail-in ballots.
Trump himself has frequently disparaged mail-in voting, and repeatedly refused to directly confirm whether he will accept the results of the November election
A voter waits to be handed her ballot as people wait over four hours for early voting at Fairfax County Government Center, Friday, September 18
People stand on line, spaced six apart due to COVID-19, in order to vote early at the Fairfax Government Center on September 18
The competing accusations have raised fears that neither side would accept defeat in November, and Trump has been circumspect about whether he would accept a loss.
When asked directly, Trump has repeatedly avoided confirming that he would accept the result of the election.
Election experts have been on edge about the process, given chaos and legal challenges during primary elections held amid the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
On Friday, Biden once again refused to reveal his stance on packing the Supreme Court, saying voters 'don't deserve' to know his position ahead of the November election.
The Democratic nominee reiterated his stance during an interview on Friday in Las Vegas , Nevada, while taking questions from the media.
Biden refused to reveal his thoughts the day prior while in Arizona, stating it would only grab headlines and take focus away from the Trump administration's effort to confirm nominee Amy Coney Barrett.
Biden again refused to answer questions about court packing, saying it would only create headlines and steer attention away from the Trump administration
After the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg , President Trump nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett for the vacant seat
KTNV reporter Ross DiMattei approached Biden and confessed that viewers were anxious to know if he supported expanding the Supreme Court to more than nine judges.
'This is the number one thing that I've been asked about from viewers in the last couple of days,' said DiMattei.
'Well, you've been asked by the viewers who are probably Republicans,' Biden responded.
'Don't the voters deserve to know where you stand on -' DiMattei started, but was cut off by Biden mid-question.
'No, they don't deserve,' Biden said, before he appeared to shift attention to President Trump and his administration.
'I'm not gonna play his game, he'd love me to talk about, and I've already said something on court packing, he'd love that to be the discussion instead of what he's doing now,' Biden said.
'He's about to make a pick in the middle of an election, first time it's ever been done, first time in history it's ever been done.
The notion of court packing has increasingly gained traction among some Democratic lawmakers in response to Republican's rejection of Merrick Garland, a President Obama-era nominee.
Obama nominated Garland for Supreme Court after the death of Antonin Scalia in 2016, but Republicans gave considerable push back and claimed that 237 days before an election was not enough time.
Before he departed from Las Vegas on Friday, Biden answered questions about his view of court packing by criticizing conservatives' current efforts with Barrett.
'Look, the only court packing is going on right now,' said Biden.
'It's going on with the Republicans packing the court now. It's not constitutional what they're doing. We should be focused on what's happening right now.
'And the fact is that the only packing going on is this court is being packed now by the Republicans after the vote has already begun. I'm going to stay focused on it so we don't take our eyes off the ball here.'