John Bolton, who once served as Donald Trump’s national security advisor, has pointed out that Trump’s recent remarks about the constitutionality of Vice President Kamala Harris’ candidacy could foreshadow potential disputes over the 2024 election results.
In a CNN interview, Bolton reacted to Trump’s comments from a Thursday press conference where he hinted that Harris’s nomination might be unconstitutional, stating, “Seems to me actually unconstitutional, perhaps it’s not.”
Harris has been building her campaign since President Biden’s unexpected withdrawal from the race on July 21. Just this week, she has successfully gained enough delegates to secure her nomination.
During the interview, host Kaitlan Collins posed the question to Bolton: “Is Trump laying the groundwork to question election results based on claims about Harris’ candidacy?” Bolton replied, “Absolutely.” He emphasized that Trump’s history suggests he believes he never loses, implying that if he doesn’t win in 2024, it will again be blamed on unfair treatment or theft.
In the 2020 election, Trump and his supporters made groundless claims of a stolen election, despite the absence of evidence for widespread voter fraud. Ultimately, Joe Biden was confirmed as the winner, leading to the January 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol by Trump supporters attempting to overturn that result.
Bolton elaborated on Trump’s strategy, stating, “I don’t think he knows exactly what his theory is this time.” He criticized Trump for not addressing his election concerns earlier, suggesting that Trump aimed to set up a narrative to explain a potential loss instead.
John Bolton says Donald Trump is “absolutely” laying the groundwork to question the outcome of the election by claiming it’s unconstitutional for Harris to be the nominee. pic.twitter.com/1gQLfqxWzU
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) August 9, 2024
David Axelrod, a former senior advisor to President Obama, echoed this concern on X, stating that Trump’s comments indicate preparation to contest the election results he might fear losing.
Earlier in the year, some of Trump’s allies were asked if they would accept the 2024 results regardless of the outcome. Many, including Ben Carson, noted they would if the process was seen as fair, which raised questions about election integrity.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz also suggested that while he would respect the outcome if Democrats were victorious, he would not dismiss claims of fraud, which he believes occurred in the last election.
