At a news conference in the White House Rose Garden, Mr. Obama said, “I have never seen in my lifetime, or in modern political history, any presidential candidate trying to discredit the elections and the election process before votes have even taken place.”
By turns mocking and grave, Mr. Obama said the claims demonstrated that Mr. Trump lacked the leadership or toughness to be president. But he warned that the charges, which Mr. Trump repeated to cheers at a rally in Colorado later in the day, would undermine the nation’s purest expression of democracy, a popular vote respected by the vanquished as well as the victors.
His sharp words reflected rising concerns among Democratic and Republican leaders that Mr. Trump’s drumbeat of accusations was resonating with his supporters. Many worry that if Mrs. Clinton wins and Mr. Trump refuses to accept the result, his stand will undermine her authority going into office and sow doubts about the legitimacy of the process.
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Presidential Election 2016
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