Democrats have a strategy in case Trump announces his electoral triumph too soon

In the event that Donald Trump attempts to declare election victory too soon, as he did in 2020, Democrats are preparing a swift reaction to bombard social media and the media with appeals for composure and patience during the vote-counting process, Harris campaign and party officials told Reuters.

Although election experts have warned that it may take several days to determine the outcome, particularly if there are calls for vote recounts in some crucial districts, the Republican candidate told reporters this week that he hoped to be able to claim victory on election day. Trump and Democratic opponent Kamala Harris are engaged in a very close contest.

Major media organizations usually determine the victors of U.S. elections by examining vote totals supplied by election authorities. Although candidates occasionally announce their victories prior to those announcements, it is uncommon to do so before the victor is at least somewhat obvious.

“We are sadly ready if he does and, if we know that he is actually manipulating the press and attempting to manipulate the consensus of the American people… we are prepared to respond,” Harris stated in an interview with ABC on Wednesday.

Six Democratic Party and Harris campaign officials stated that the first battle against any early Trump victory claim will be fought in the court of public opinion, but she did not elaborate on those preparations. They intend to saturate television and social media with calls for the counting of all ballots prior to the announcement of winners.

“As soon as he (Trump) falsely declares victory, we’re ready to get up on TV and provide the truth and tap a broad network of people who can use their influence to push back,” a senior DNC official stated in an interview.

In a Friday conference call with reporters, a top Harris campaign official stated that they “fully expect” Trump to make a phony victory claim on Tuesday night before all of the votes have been tabulated.

“He took this action prior to its failure. “It will fail if he does it again,” the official declared.

Three days before the first television networks called, in the early morning hours after Election Day in 2020, Trump proclaimed himself the victor. In the end, Joe Biden, his Democratic opponent, defeated him. He has never acknowledged the outcome and still makes the false claim that it was taken from him via massive fraud.

Trump should announce his win immediately, according to Steve Bannon, a crucial Trump backer.

Just after being freed from a four-month federal jail sentence for ignoring congressional subpoenas over the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol, Bannon told a reporter for the New York Times on Tuesday, “He should stand up and say, ‘Hey, I’ve won this,'” upon his release.

A query about whether Trump intended to declare victory before the election was called was not explicitly addressed by the Trump team, which told Reuters that the Republican nominee would compete for all votes until the polls closed.

Bill Bean, a Trump supporter who has occasionally criticized the former president, told Reuters that he hopes either Trump or Harris win by large percentages so that the outcome is as widely acknowledged as possible.

NO FIREWALL REPUBLICAN

In 2020, several prominent Republicans and Democrats denounced Trump’s announcement of victory. Major stock indices saw a slight increase in the days following the election as markets shrugged their shoulders.

However, things could be different this time.

According to a number of political experts, the former president has gained almost complete control of the Republican Party in the intervening years, which may make many powerful conservatives more receptive to his assertions.

“We’ve seen plenty of evidence that he is in complete control of the party… and we’ve seen no evidence that party officials or elected officials will push back,” said Trump critic and veteran Republican strategist Chip Felkel.

By asserting that non-citizens would attempt to vote for the Democratic Party and preparing a horde of attorneys to fight the results in court, Trump and his Republican supporters have also spent months preparing the framework for appealing a defeat.

Trump frequently states during his rallies that they must ensure his victory is “too big to rig.”