US Republican presidential contender Donald Trump said he would be prepared to concede defeat after the vote on Tuesday, November 5, “if it’s a fair election”, while again raising concerns about the use of electronic voting machines.
“If I lose an election, if it’s a fair election, I would be the first one to acknowledge it… So far I think it’s been fair,” Trump, repeating a caveat that he has used many times on the campaign trail, told reporters after voting in Florida.
Kamala Harris earlier took to radio to urge Americans to “get out and vote,” particularly in battleground states, as her White House duel with Trump reached its climax. “We’ve got to get it done. Today is voting day, and people need to get out and be active,” said Harris, who had already voted by mail, on Atlanta station WVEE-FM on Tuesday. She described her opponent as “full of vengeance. He’s full of grievance. It’s all about himself.”
In Florida, wearing his trademark “Make America Great Again” cap, Trump reiterated his previous criticism of electronic voting machines, suggesting they were less secure than paper ballots and would delay the outcome being known.
“They spend all this money on machines… If they would use paper ballots, voter ID, proof of citizenship, and one-day voting, it would all be over by 10 o’clock in the evening. It’s crazy,” he told reporters in West Palm Beach. He added: “Do you know that paper is more sophisticated now than computers? If it’s watermarked paper you cannot… It’s unbelievable what happens with it. There’s nothing you can do to cheat.”
Asked by reports in West Palm Beach about fears of unrest after the election and whether he would call on supporters to avoid violence, Trump criticized the question. “I don’t have to tell them that, that there’ll be no violence. Of course, there’ll be no violence. My supporters are not violent people,” Trump said.
President Joe Biden, meanwhile, is laying low at the White House on Election Day. He has no public appearances on his schedule and his press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, won’t be holding her typical daily briefing on Tuesday. Biden made his final campaign appearance on Saturday when he delivered a speech to laborers on behalf of the Harris-Walz campaign in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
