It’s been clear to those paying attention for some time that Donald Trump has no intention of accepting the results of an election he loses. For two years now, he’s dodged repeatedly in public anytime he’s presented with a version of the now-very-familiar questions: “Will you accept the results of the election?” “Will you commit to a peaceful transfer of power?” These inquiries, of course, only became necessary after his failed attempt to cling to power four years ago.
He’ll only accept the results of a “fair election,” he’ll only accept the results if Democrats don’t “cheat.” He’s been telling us what to expect for a while now. And he’s been rather obvious about who he will blame, too. The Democrats. The “enemy from within.” His political rivals. Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff, specifically. The fake news. The non-existent hordes of non-citizens who are supposedly breaking the law, risking deportation, endangering their livelihoods and immigration status just to cast a vote for Vice President Kamala Harris. The tricksy RINOs and Never-Trumpers.
But its not just his perceived nemeses who will bear the brunt of the blame for any election result that doesn’t land him back in the White House. Axios has a few new nuggets of reporting in a piece published today that reveal the former president is setting himself up to blame the guy tasked with running the Republican National Committee if things don’t go well for him.
Michael Whatley, the chair of the RNC who has been running a slew of “election integrity” programs since his elevation to the job, is reportedly the intended scapegoat. Whatley has not only overseen the RNC’s strategic 180 towards embracing early voting programs, he’s also led an effort to recruit Trump supporters as poll watchers and poll workers. It’s widely believed that the fixation on poll watchers and workers is part of a scheme to gin up claims and supposed evidence of voter fraud.
If the scheme doesn’t produce results, Trump’s made it clear: Whatley will be to blame. He publicly said as much at a recent rally in North Carolina, Whatley’s home state.
“Where are you, Michael? Stand up. We’re counting on this guy. I didn’t take him from any other state. I took him right from here,” Trump said. “So Michael, you better win or you’re never going to be able to come back here. He doesn’t win, he won’t be at RNC and he will no longer be in North Carolina. He’ll be looking for a job.”
He’s saying it more explicitly in private, too. Per Axios:
In fact, in private conversations with allies recently, Trump has said he believes the only reason he could lose the election is if Whatley drops the ball on “election integrity” issues.
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