Did Trump Threaten To Use An Executive Order To Prevent Biden From Winning The Election?

In a wide-ranging campaign speech in North Carolina over the weekend, President Donald Trump threatened to issue an executive order to prevent Democratic nominee Joe Biden from being elected.

“Maybe I will sign an executive order you cannot have him as your president,” Trump said Saturday at a rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Trump also described Biden as “the worst candidate in the history of presidential politics.”

It was unclear if Trump was joking about the executive order or attempting to confuse his base and drum up attention. Trump has used more executive orders than past presidents. In 44 months in the Oval Office, Trump has signed 184 executive orders, compared to 276 from Barack Obama, 291 from George W. Bush and 253 from Bill Clinton over their respected eight-year terms.

Trump also said people will vote for Biden "because they feel sorry for him."

"If I lose to him, I don't know what I'm going to do,” Trump said at the event. “I will never speak to you again. You'll never see me again."

Biden then tweeted a clip of the quote on social media, with the caption: “I’m Joe Biden and I approve this message."

Trump’s remarks at the North Carolina rally raise concerns that he may not concede the race if the results show him losing the election in November. During a July interview with Fox News host Chris Wallace, Trump refused to say whether he would accept the election results.

Biden warned donors in July that Trump may try to “steal” the election, due to the high number of mail-in ballots during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This president is going to try to indirectly steal the election by arguing that mail-in ballots don't work. They’re not real. They’re not fair,” Biden said.

Biden has previously said he assembled a team of more than 600 lawyers to deal with “chicanery” during the election.

Recent polls show Biden with a strong lead on Trump in the general election. An IBD/TIPP poll released Monday showed Biden with a 6-point nationwide lead over Trump, 50%-44%.