As Donald Trump continues to refuse to acknowledge his defeat four years ago in the U.S. presidential election, the billionaire, along with Republican officials, is paving the way to reject the results of the upcoming election should he not win against Joe Biden. This raises concerns about a repeat of the chaos witnessed in 2020. Many Republicans close to Trump have their eyes set on the vice presidency, such as Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who stated to NBC on Sunday that he would not accept “unfair” elections, accusing Democrats of “opposing every Republican victory since 2000.” Rubio was hinting at the angry reactions following the defeats of John Kerry and Hillary Clinton in 2004 and 2016, but both candidates ceased their criticism in a timely manner, allowing for a peaceful transfer of power.
Trump had deemed the 2020 election "stolen" and led a coordinated campaign to cast doubt on his loss to Biden through numerous baseless conspiracy theories that inspired his supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol. Years of investigations and over 60 lawsuits have revealed no evidence of misconduct by Democrats, yet Trump claimed on Friday that he achieved a “decisive majority” in Minnesota, where he lost by over 200,000 votes in 2020.
"If Everything is Honest"
Meanwhile, the misinformation campaigns led by Trump to overturn the 2020 election results have resulted in federal and state charges against the former president for crimes including conspiracy, obstruction, and extortion. Trump maintains the same stance regarding the 2024 elections, still refusing to acknowledge their outcome in a series of interviews. Trump stated to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel earlier this month that he would accept the election results “if everything is honest,” indicating that he “will fight for the country’s right” should he suspect fraud.
The question in the media about accepting election results or not has become a new tradition, as it was previously taken for granted that candidates who expressed unconditional support for democracy bolstered their political ambitions rather than undermined them. However, potential vice presidential candidates have managed to balance support for democracy while keeping Trump alongside them, preferring to simply state that acceptance of election results is obligatory.
Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, a Republican and one of the candidates for the vice presidency with Trump, was the first among candidates to refuse to disclose whether she would vote to certify the results of the 2024 election. In January, she said she would only accept “legal and valid” elections.
“Religious Sect”
Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, a candidate for the same position, told CNN that he would accept the results only if the elections were “free and fair.” There was pressure on South Carolina Senator Tim Scott during an interview with NBC to discuss whether he would accept the upcoming election results, but he declined to answer. North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum also prefers to refrain from expressing any position.
Charlie Kulean, a chief strategist at the conservative consulting firm RED PAC, believes Republicans should adopt the position of defenders of “election integrity” and perhaps contest the results. He stated, “It is important for these candidates to become recognized authorities on topics that voters care about, as this will bolster the Republican party’s ticket ahead of the elections.”
However, political expert Nicholas Kreil from Georgia State University noted that the confusion reflects that Republicans simply cannot acknowledge Trump's defeat in 2020 without jeopardizing their standing in the party. He concluded, “The party is no longer tied to an ideology but to a cult, making it closer to a religious group than to a modern political party.”
