Election 2020: Trump May Reject Election Results, Calls Mail-In Ballots 'A Whole Big Scam'

President Donald Trump again refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the November election, repeating his claims challenging the “honesty” of mail-in ballots and calling them “a whole big scam.”

On Thursday, Trump was interviewed by reporters outside of the White House a day after he refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power should he lose to Democratic challenger Joe Biden.

When asked whether he would consider the 2020 election results legitimate if he wins, the president launched into a series of complaints about mail-in ballots, asserting that they were likely to be tainted by fraud, the New York Times reported.

“So, we have to be very careful with the ballots. The ballots — you know, that’s a whole big scam,” Trump added, citing news that he claimed reported ballots found “in a river.”

Trump drew ire Wednesday after he refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if Biden wins the November election. Trump made similar remarks four years ago when asked if he would commit to honoring the 2016 election results if Hillary Clinton won.

“We’re going to have to see what happens,” Trump said during a news conference. “You know that I’ve been complaining very strongly about the ballots, and the ballots are a disaster.”

According to the Associated Press, Biden responded to Trump’s comments with disbelief. “What country are we in?” he asked. “I’m being facetious. Look, he says the most irrational things. I don’t know what to say about it. But it doesn’t surprise me.”

FBI Director Christopher Wray dismissed Trump’s concerns about mail-in ballots and told lawmakers that they had found no evidence of a “coordinated national voter fraud effort.”

Many Republicans distanced themselves from the remarks. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., insisted there would be an “orderly transition just as there has been every four years since 1792."

Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said he believes Republicans would stand up to the president should he resist to hand over his office if he loses.

“Republicans believe in the rule of law, we believe in the Constitution, and that’s what dictates what happens in our election process,” he told reporters on Capitol Hill.