Politico reports:
Bernie Sanders fears President Donald Trump will refuse to leave office if he loses reelection and is calling on Congress and the media to take action to prepare for that scenario now, he said in an interview with POLITICO.
“This is not just idle speculation,” said Sanders, pointing to comments the president made at the GOP convention.
“Trump was saying that the only way he could lose the election is if there was — let me get the exact quote — ‘the only way they can take this election away from us is if this is a rigged election.’ Now he is making that statement at a time when virtually every national poll has him behind.”
We must do everything we can to ensure @JoeBiden wins by the largest possible margin. We also must consider what happens if Trump loses but refuses to abide by the results and does everything he can to hold onto power.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) September 4, 2020
First, with the pandemic and a massive increase in mail-in voting, state legislatures must take action to allow votes to be counted before Election Day. We must avoid a situation where battleground states are counting millions of votes for days and weeks after Election Day.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) September 4, 2020
Second, the news media needs to prepare the American people to understand there is no longer a single Election Day and that we may not know the results on November 3. Absent a national conversation about that reality, conspiracy theories and disinformation will likely thrive.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) September 4, 2020
Third, social media companies must finally get their act together and stop people from using their tools to threaten and harass election officials, spread disinformation, and organize voter intimidation and disinformation on their sites.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) September 4, 2020
Fourth, we need Congressional hearings with local officials to learn how they plan to handle the Election Day process and the days that follow. Every agency of government—federal, state and local—must do everything possible to ensure that we have a free and fair election.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) September 4, 2020
Let us work hard to deliver Joe Biden an overwhelming victory on election night. But, we must also stay vigilant, and do everything possible to prevent Trump from staying in power if he loses. Nothing less than our democracy is at stake.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) September 4, 2020