Former U.S. President Donald Trump visited his campaign office in West Palm Beach, Florida, on the 5th (local time) and gave a speech. There are reports that some aides of Donald Trump, who is running as the Republican candidate in the U.S. presidential election, suggested an early victory declaration.
On the 5th (local time), the British daily The Guardian reported that some of Trump’s aides advised him to declare victory before the official results if he has a significant lead in the interim vote counts in key battleground states. They paid particular attention to the vote counting in Pennsylvania, which holds the most electoral votes among the seven battleground states. They suggested that an early victory declaration would be acceptable if Trump is ahead by several hundred thousand votes or if internal polling experts believe a victory is likely.
It is uncertain whether Trump will accept this advice. Notably, Steve Bannon, a former White House chief strategist regarded as a hardliner within the Trump camp, reportedly advised Trump last week not to make an early victory declaration.
However, there continues to be discussion about the possibility of Trump not accepting the results if he loses the election. Given the strong confidence in victory within the Trump camp, there is an analysis that backlash could be intense if the actual results are contrary. Previously, when Trump’s defeat in the 2020 election was confirmed, he claimed that the victory had been “stolen” from him, which ultimately led to the storming of the Capitol.
The campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris, who is running as the Democratic presidential candidate, is reportedly preparing for both an early victory declaration by Trump and the possibility of his refusal to accept the election results. Currently, Trump is at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, and avoided directly responding to questions about when and how he might declare victory while voting in Florida. If Trump does declare an early victory, he is likely to visit the campaign headquarters set up at a nearby convention center.