Trump claims 'millions voted illegally' cost him popular vote

Image
Press Trust of India Washington
Last Updated : Nov 28 2016 | 12:57 PM IST
In an unprecedented move, US President-elect Donald Trump today alleged that "millions of people" voted illegally for Hillary Clinton that prevented him from winning the popular vote too, threatening a truce between them after their bitter White House race.
Trump, who offered no evidence for his claims, said that he would have won the popular votes in the US general election "if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally".
"In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally," Trump said in a first of the series of tweets.
He alleged that serious voter fraud were committed in three States of Virginia, New Hampshire and California where he lost.
The allegation by Trump, who won the required votes in the Electoral College to secure the presidency, comes as Democratic rival Hillary Clinton's lead in the popular vote over Trump has surpassed 2.0 million votes and is expected to grow to more than 2.5 million as ballots in populous states such as California continue to be tallied.
Clinton has 232 electoral college votes in her kitty as against 270 required to be declared as elected.
The Republican billionaire's allegations came as steps are being taken towards recounting of votes in the swing state of Wisconsin, which Trump won.
Earlier he described an impending recount of votes in Wisconsin as a "scam" and said the results of the presidential election should be respected instead of being challenged or "abused".
"It would have been much easier for me to win the so-called popular vote than the Electoral College in that I would only campaign in 3 or 4- - states instead of the 15 states that I visited. I would have won even more easily and convincingly (but smaller states are forgotten)!" Trump said in another tweet.
Soon he fired another tweet alleging voters fraud in three States. "Serious voter fraud in Virginia, New Hampshire and California - so why isn't the media reporting on this? Serious bias - big problem!" Trump said.

Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Nov 28 2016 | 12:57 PM IST

Next Story