Harris will 'react quickly' if Trump declares victory early

(CLO) As the US election approaches, the Democratic Party and Kamala Harris' campaign have planned a quick response if Donald Trump tries to declare victory too soon.

According to Reuters, Ms. Harris's team plans to "preemptively strike" on social media and media channels to call for calm and patience, emphasizing that it is necessary to wait until all votes are counted before an accurate result can be given.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. Photo: REUTERS/Brian Snyder

The Republican candidate told reporters this week that he hoped to declare victory on election night. However, election experts have warned that the final results could take days to be known, especially if recounts are required in key areas. Trump is currently in a tight race with Democrat Kamala Harris.

Typically, the winner of a US election is announced by major media outlets, after they have analyzed the votes from election officials. While candidates can sometimes declare victory themselves, this usually happens when the outcome is already clear.

“We are unfortunately prepared for that, if he really manipulates the press and tries to manipulate American public opinion... we are prepared to respond,” Harris said in an interview with ABC.

She did not share details of the measures, but six officials from the Democratic Party and Harris' campaign said they would immediately challenge Trump's claim of victory on social media and in the media.

“Once Mr. Trump makes a premature, unsubstantiated claim of victory, we will immediately go on television, present the facts, and enlist the support of influential people to push back against misinformation,” said a senior official at the Democratic National Committee.

A senior Harris campaign official said they were “absolutely confident” that Trump would declare victory on Tuesday night, even if the votes had not yet been counted. “He’s done it before and it failed. If he does it again, it will be the same outcome,” the official said.

In 2020, Mr. Trump declared himself the winner just hours after Election Day, while the media did not officially call it until three days later. The final result was that Mr. Trump lost to Democratic candidate Joe Biden, but he continued to claim that the election was stolen through massive fraud.

Mr Trump's campaign has said it will fight to ensure every vote is counted when polls close, but has not directly answered whether Mr Trump plans to declare victory early.

Mr Trump and his allies have also spent months preparing for a possible contest if they lose, arguing that non-US citizens could seek to vote for Democrats, and would appeal if necessary.

Cao Phong (according to Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/ba-harris-se-phan-ung-nhanh-neu-ong-trump-tuyen-bo-chien-thang-som-post319638.html