President Barack Obama on Tuesday slapped down Donald Trump's claim that the 2016 presidential race is rigged, telling the Republican nominee to "stop whining" and get on with his campaign.
In language usually used to scold a moody teenager, Obama discarded diplomatic decorum, skewering the mogul from the Rose Garden in front of visiting Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.
Trump has ramped up conspiracies about America's election system as his poll numbers have plummeted in the wake of sexual assault allegations against him.
He trails around seven points nationwide and bookmakers in Europe -- where political betting is legal -- have already begun to pay out on a Clinton win.
But the White House is increasingly concerned that Trump and his supporters will not recognize the election's outcome, plunging the country into a political crisis.
According to a poll by Politico and Morning Consult, 41 percent of American voters, including 73 percent of Republicans, now believe the vote could actually be stolen from Trump.
"I have never seen in my lifetime or in modern political history any presidential candidate trying to discredit the elections and the election process before votes have even taken place. It's unprecedented," Obama said.
"If, whenever things are going badly for you and you lose, you start blaming somebody else? Then you don't have what it takes to be in this job," he added.
Addressing Trump's allegations of "large scale voter fraud," Obama said "there's no evidence that that has happened in the past, or that there are instances in which that will happen this time."
"I'd advise Mr Trump to stop whining and go try to make his case to get votes," Obama told a news conference.
- 'Final shot' -
The withering riposte comes on the eve of the third and final presidential debate.
With three weeks until the November 8 election, this may be Trump's last chance to make a positive mark on millions of voters.
Campaigning in Colorado on Tuesday, a slightly subdued Trump indicated his scorched-earth tactics would continue.
"We've only just begun to fight, believe me," he said. "This is our final shot, folks."
Polls giving Clinton the lead were inaccurate, he said. In fact, "they're sort of good" for the Trump campaign.
"We are going to have one of the greatest victories in political history," he predicted, excoriating the media for being "an extension of the Hillary Clinton campaign."
"The press has created a rigged system and poisoned the minds of the voters," he said.
"Either we win this election or we lose the country."
Trump doubled-down on his vote rigging claims, saying that "noncitizens" might decide the election and "voter fraud is all too common" in cities such as Philadelphia, Chicago and St. Louis -- which have large African-American populations.
"Take a look at some of these cities where you see things happening that are horrendous," Trump said, going on the defensive, "and if you talk about them, they say bad things about you. They call you a racist."
"By the way, speak of that, nobody will do more for the African-American citizens of this country than Donald Trump. Nobody. Nobody," Trump said, referring to himself in the third person.
Experts and Republican elected officials have denounced Trump for his accusations of voter fraud, prompting the nominee to turn on his own party.
He went a step further on Tuesday, calling for term limits for the US Senate and House of Representatives.
But Clinton's campaign believes Trump's hot rhetoric has helped the Democrats -- not only by galvanizing supporters but also shifting undecided voters to their camp.
"We know that he thought that strategy of scorched earth would depress our vote, but if anything, we have found that it's helped to motivate our voters," Clinton communication's director Jennifer Palmieri said.
Democrats are beginning to target traditionally Republican states in a bid to run up the score and help win legislative races that could decide who controls Congress.
On Thursday, First Lady Michelle Obama will campaign in Arizona, which has not voted Democratic since Bill Clinton's landslide win against Bob Dole in 1996.
AFP
Wed Oct 19 2016
OBAMA: I have never seen in my lifetime or in modern political history any presidential candidate trying to discredit the elections and the election process before votes have even taken place. - REUTERS / File
Malaysia perlu bersedia penuhi keperluan TBB yang semakin meningkat - Fadillah
Keperluan tenaga boleh baharu (TBB) di negara ini semakin meningkat seiring dengan keyakinan pelabur asing khususnya untuk mewujudkan pusat-pusat data.
Belanjawan 2025: Kesalinghubungan internet di sekolah, kampus jadi keutamaan - Fahmi
Fahmi berkata ia termasuk isu Internet di kawasan terpencil, pedalaman dan pulau-pulau dalam memastikan akses Internet berkelajuan tinggi lebih meluas.
Pelajar tahfiz perlu teroka bidang teknologi
Kira-kira 200,000 pelajar tahfiz di negara ini, perlu dipastikan untuk mempunyai kemampuan dan peluang menjadi tenaga penggerak kepada umat Islam Malaysia dalam meneroka bidang yang dahulu dilihat sebagai asing., tegas Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Perpaduan rakyat prasyarat ekonomi mampan
Tidak semua negara Islam mempunyai ruang dan kesempatan untuk terus aman dan damai, dan mempunyai peluang untuk menikmati ekonomi yang kukuh dan berkembang seperti Malaysia, tegas Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Beliau berkata, rakyat Malaysia perlu mempunyai tekad untuk memahami maksud dan keperluan perpaduan di kalangan mereka, serta kekuatan dalaman yang seterusnya dapat dijadikan tonggak untuk negara membuat langkah seterusnya.
Beliau berkata, rakyat Malaysia perlu mempunyai tekad untuk memahami maksud dan keperluan perpaduan di kalangan mereka, serta kekuatan dalaman yang seterusnya dapat dijadikan tonggak untuk negara membuat langkah seterusnya.
Tidak perlu tergesa-gesa tukar ke lesen B - JPJ
Pemegang Lesen Memandu Malaysia (LMM) Kelas B2 dan B1 tidak perlu tergesa-gesa mendaftar Program Khas Peralihan LLM Kelas B2/B1 Kepada LMM Kelas B kerana tiada had masa ditetapkan untuk permohonan.
KPWKM teruskan lapan inisiatif bantu warga emas
Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat (KPWKM) akan terus menggerakkan lapan inisiatif utama dalam memenuhi keperluan jagaan dan sistem sokongan terhadap warga emas.
Warga emas maut ditikam anak kandung yang berhalusinasi
Seorang pesara guru maut ditikam anak kandungnya sendiri di sebuah rumah dekat Kampung Senaling, di sini, petang Sabtu.
Menurut Ketua Polis Daerah Kuala Pilah, Superintendan Amran Mohd Ghani, siasatan awal mendapati warga emas berusia 65 tahun itu cuba memujuk anak lelakinya yang juga pemegang kad orang kurang upaya (OKU) mental yang dikatakan mahu membunuh diri.
Menurut Ketua Polis Daerah Kuala Pilah, Superintendan Amran Mohd Ghani, siasatan awal mendapati warga emas berusia 65 tahun itu cuba memujuk anak lelakinya yang juga pemegang kad orang kurang upaya (OKU) mental yang dikatakan mahu membunuh diri.
Berita tempatan pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Berikut adalah berita yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang Sabtu, 5 Oktober 2024.
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
Hezbollah lancar serangan peluru berpandu ke atas kompleks industri ketenteraan di utara Israel
Pergerakan Hezbollah di Lubnan berkata mereka telah melancarkan serangan peluru berpandu ke atas kemudahan ATA Defence Industries.
Barack Obama, isteri sokong Kamala Harris dalam saingan Presiden AS
Obama berkata beliau dan isteri, Michelle menyatakan sokongan kepada Naib Presiden Kamala Harris dalam perlumbaan presiden November ini.
Obama ucap terima kasih kepada Biden, tidak sahkan sokongan terhadap Harris
Obama berkata, Biden merupakan salah seorang Presiden Amerika yang paling penting serta menjadi kawan dan rakan kongsi yang dikasihi.
Obama, Pelosi mahu Biden pertimbang undur diri daripada pilihan raya AS
Pelosi turut mengemukakan tinjauan pendapat yang menunjukkan Biden tidak akan mampu menewaskan calon Republikan, Donald Trump.
Tiada tempat untuk keganasan politik dalam demokrasi AS - Obama
Kenyataan Obama mengundang kecaman warganet terutamanya istilah 'keganasan politik' yang dikatakan menunjukkan sisi hipokrasi Washington.
Kematian tukang masak peribadi Barack Obama diisytihar satu kemalangan
Punca kematian diisytiharkan sebagai kes lemas dan cara kematian disahkan sebagai satu kemalangan.
Tukang masak peribadi Barack Obama ditemukan lemas
Mendiang Campbell meninggalkan seorang isteri, Sherise dan sepasang anak kembar.
Kes 1MDB: Jho Low rancang derma RM132 juta kempen Obama 2012
DiCaprio memberitahu juri bahawa Jho Low merancang untuk menderma sekitar AS$30 juta bagi membantu kempen pemilihan semula Barack Obama.
Naib Presiden AS Kamala Harris mulakan lawatan seminggu ke Afrika
Kamala Harris memulakan lawatan seminggu ke Afrika bermula hujung minggu ini.
Pemimpin, selebriti dan peminat bola sepak dunia ratapi pemergian Pele
Pele meninggal dunia pada usia 82 tahun selepas bertarung dengan kanser kolon.
Obama, Michelle kembali ke White House untuk lancar potret rasmi
Bekas Presiden Amerika Syarikat (AS) Barack Obama dan isteri Michelle Obama kembali ke Rumah Putih untuk melancarkan potret rasmi mereka.