Topline
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., one of several prominent Republicans vying for former President Donald Trump’s vice presidential nomination, refused Sunday to answer whether he would accept the results of the 2024 election if Trump was not the winner—only days after the former president also said he would only accept the results “if everything’s honest.”
Trump previously said he anticipates the upcoming election will be “honest” and said he would accept ... [+]
Key Facts
Speaking to “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker, Scott refused to commit to accepting the results of the 2024 election, instead insisting “this is an issue that is not an issue,” and asserting “at the end of the day, the 47th president of the United States will be President Donald Trump.”
Welker gave Scott, who voted to certify the 2020 presidential election despite Trump’s false claims of widespread voter fraud, a final chance to commit—but the South Carolina senator simply said “that is my statement” and “I look forward to President Trump being the 47th president.”
Scott’s comments come only four days after Trump told The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel he would only accept the election results “if everything’s honest.”
Crucial Quote
“But if everything's honest, which we anticipate it will be – a lot of changes have been made over the last few years – but if everything's honest, I will absolutely accept the results," Trump told the newspaper in Wisconsin—a crucial swing state he lost by only 21,000 votes in 2020.
Key Background
Trump has a long history of contesting election results and baselessly claiming they are “rigged” against him. After losing to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, in the 2016 Iowa caucuses, Trump claimed the election was “stolen” and accused the GOP senator of “fraud.” He later claimed his 2016 Democratic opponent, Hilary Clinton, would “rig” the election against him—but largely stopped making this claim after his victory that November. After losing to President Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, Trump spent months casting doubt on the results and insisting the election was stolen due to widespread voter fraud in key swing states like Arizona and Michigan. In the years following Biden’s victory, Trump has continued to insist the 2020 election was “stolen,” including at major rallies on the 2024 campaign trail.
Tangent
Fellow Trump vice presidential contender Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., also demurred in a January “Meet the Press” appearance when asked whether she’d support certifying the 2024 election regardless of the outcome. “We will see if this is a legal and valid election,” she said.