South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn recently warned that President Donald Trump may refuse the leave the White House if he loses the 2020 election.
Clyburn made the prediction in two separate interviews over the past week. During an appearance on PBS News Hour on July 31, the House majority whip discussed the Republicans’ efforts to delay the upcoming election by thwarting mail-in voting initiatives. He compared the president to Germain dictator and Nazi party leader Adolf Hitler.
“They’re looking for some way to try to postpone this election. They’re looking for some way not to have an election,” Clyburn said to PBS anchor Judy Woodruff. “I have been saying now for about three years that this president doesn’t plan to have an election. He’s not planning to give up the office. He thinks that the American people will be duped by him, like the people of Germany was duped by Adolf Hitler.”
Clyburn took his metaphor further after CNN political correspondent Dana Bash asked him about the comments he made to PBS News Hour.
“I feel very strongly that this man has taken on strong-arm tactics and I feel very strongly that he is Mussolini, Putin is Hitler,” he told Bush. during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, Aug. 2
He argued Trump has no intention to “peacefully transfer power” to a successor.
“I don’t think he plans to leave the White House,” Clyburn added. “He doesn’t plan to have fair and unfettered elections. I believe that he plans to install himself in some kind of emergency way to hold onto the office. And that’s why the American people had better wake up.”
On Wednesday, Clyburn confirmed there were “talks” about the likelihood of Trump refusing to leave office. He suggested the military start preparing for the worst.
“I do believe military leadership in this country needs to take a look at how they conduct themselves if this man starts making extraordinary, or should I say extra-constitutional, demands of them,” he told TMZ.
Last week, Trump suggested delaying the Nov. 3 election and argued mail-in voting could increase the possibility of voter fraud.
“With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history,” Trump tweeted on July 30. “It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???”
The president backtracked during a news conference later that day.
“Do I want to see a date change? No. But I don’t want to see a crooked election,” he told reporters. This election will be the most rigged election in history if that happens.”
Trump took his disdain for mail-in ballots off the internet and into direct action on Tuesday when his administration sued Nevada after state lawmakers passed a bill that will allow ballots to be mailed to registered voters.
On the same day, Trump praised Republican-led Florida’s mail-in system.
“Whether you call it Vote by Mail or Absentee Voting, in Florida the election system is Safe and Secure, Tried and True,” he tweeted. “Florida’s Voting system has been cleaned up (we defeated Democrats attempts at change), so in Florida I encourage all to request a Ballot & Vote by Mail!”
The next morning, the president suggested Nevada to take a few notes from Florida.
“Nevada has ZERO infrastructure for Mail-In Voting. It will be a corrupt disaster if not ended by the Courts,” Trump wrote. “It will take months, or years, to figure out. Florida has built a great infrastructure, over years, with two great Republican Governors. Florida, send in your Ballots!”
