White House staffers discussed possibility of Trump not quitting if he loses election, claims ex-Pence aide
Olivia Troye, a former aide to Vice President Mike Pence who recently made the headlines for bringing some allegations against President Donald Trump, has now said that White House staff members discussed among them the possibility that the president would decline to vacate the office if he loses the November 3 election.
Troye was a former counterterrorism adviser to Pence who came up with a brief video on September 17 with her accusations against Trump and endorsed his Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden. She alleged that while Trump called the coronavirus pandemic “good” as that would help him avoid shaking hands with “disgusting people,” she also said that the GOP leader failed to protect his countrymen and was only bothered about his own re-election. The US has seen more than 200,000 people dying in the pandemic while more than seven million have been affected -- the highest in the world.
Staff members had 'closed door' meetings
On Friday, September 25, Troye appeared in an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer where she revealed that the staff members had “closed door” conversations over Trump’s likely stance of not refusing to step down after a potential defeat against Biden. The incumbent has been targeting the mail-in ballot system which is in demand in the current pandemic situation saying it would lead to widespread electoral malpractice. He also indicated recently that he would not commit to a peaceful transition of power -- a stance which has left a lot of Republicans and the Pentagon uneasy.
“It’s frightening to me, because to be honest, during my tenure at the White House, I’ve had conversations behind closed doors with White House staffers and other government officials, including people in the intelligence community, where we've actually discussed what if, what if he loses and refuses to leave, or better yet, what if his plan is four more years of Donald Trump should he win, and would he leave after that?” Troye said.
Speaking about Trump’s doubt over the honesty of the upcoming election and his recent suggestion of getting rid of the ballots and that there would be no transfer but a continuation, Troye said the president says half-truth through his jokes. She called it “something fairly frightening and scary.”
“What you see is what you get. You should trust that. He doesn't hide it,” she said.
Meanwhile, the president and his aides have dismissed Troye as a “disgruntled” voice. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said: “These are not profiles in courage, but these are profiles in cowardice.” She also called her a part of a “fringe club of, quote, ‘Never Trumpers’ who are desperate for relevancy.”
At his rally in Atlanta last week, Trump mocked the speculation that he would not accept the results of the election if he loses to say: “We will be president in 10 years?” before claiming that it was a joke. “You know, you can’t joke. [The Media] always cut it before the laugh so they think he’s serious,” Trump said to hear “12 more years” from his excited supporters at the rally.
The mercurial president also claimed at another rally in Wisconsin in August that he deserved a third term since his 2016 election campaign was spied upon. No president apart from Franklin D Roosevelt has served more than two terms in history.
Trump said on Thursday, September 24, that he was not sure whether the upcoming election will be fair and McEnany told the media the same day that the president would accept the results of a “free and fair election.” Trump also said in recent times that the results of the November 3 election will not be known on the Election Day itself and a long legal dispute was waiting to happen. He also cautioned that the election will end up at the Supreme Court where he picked his conservative nominee as a successor to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg who passed away on September 18.
