Trump Says He'll Respect the Election Results If Supreme Court Rules Biden Won

(L-R) President Donald Trump in Daytona Beach, Fla., on Feb. 16, 2020. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in Wilmington, Del., on July 28, 2020. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images; Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

President Donald Trump on Sept. 24 said he'll respect the November election results if the Supreme Court rules that Joe Biden won, coming after he made comments to reporters about the presidential transition of power.

When asked about it by Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade, Trump replied: “I would agree with [that], but I think we have a long way before we get there. These ballots are a horror show. They found six ballots in an office yesterday in a garbage can.”

His remarks came as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said a presidential transition after the November elections would be orderly and consistent with U.S. historical precedents.

“The winner of the November 3rd election will be inaugurated on January 20th. There will be an orderly transition just as there has been every four years since 1792,” McConnell said in a statement on Sept. 24.

Trump declined an opportunity on Sept. 23 to endorse the peaceful transfer of power. The president has frequently expressed concerns about voter fraud amid a surge in mail-in voting as well as nationwide riots and unrest.

When asked about whether he would “commit here today for a peaceful transferal of power after the November election,” Trump said it isn’t clear what will happen.

“We’re going to have to see what happens,” he said. “You know that I’ve been complaining very strongly about the ballots, and the ballots are a disaster.”

A reporter then said that “people are rioting,” to which Trump replied: “Get rid of the ballots and you’ll have a very peaceful—there won’t be a transfer, frankly. There will be a continuation.”

Trump, since the start of the pandemic, has repeatedly assailed and raised awareness about the perils of mail-in voting, saying that it could lead to extensive delays or election fraud.

At the same time, the president said the election could head to the Supreme Court, saying the court needs nine justices on the bench to render an appropriate decision. On Sept. 18, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died at age 87, setting the stage for a precarious nominating process in the Senate amid threats from Democrats to “pack the courts” and invoke rules to delay the confirmation hearings.

Some Republican members of Congress, including Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), have attempted to compare Trump’s comments about the transfer of power to the regime of longtime Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, who has faced historic protests in recent months over election results.

“Fundamental to democracy is the peaceful transition of power; without that, there is Belarus,” Romney wrote on Sept. 24. “Any suggestion that a president might not respect this Constitutional guarantee is both unthinkable and unacceptable.”

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the third-highest member of the House Republican leadership, wrote on Twitter: “The peaceful transfer of power is enshrined in our Constitution and fundamental to the survival of our Republic. America’s leaders swear an oath to the Constitution. We will uphold that oath.”

Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told Fox News on Sept. 24 that Republicans will hold a “peaceful” transfer of power, adding that if the results of the election are in doubt, the Supreme Court “will decide, and if the Republicans lose, we will accept that result. But we need a full court.”