Biden Says He Doesn’t Know Whether Election Will Be Peaceful—Citing Trump’s Attempt To Overturn 2020 Election

Topline

President Joe Biden said during an unprecedented surprise appearance at a White House press briefing Friday he is confident the nearing election will be fair, but said he did not know whether it will be peaceful, doubling down on previous doubts he has expressed about former President Donald Trump and the peaceful transfer of power in November.

Key Facts

Biden, taking questions at theWhite House press briefing for his first time while in office, said he is confident the election “will be free and fair,” though he stopped short of expressing the same confidence about a peaceful election.

The president said, “I don’t know whether [the election] will be peaceful,” before saying Trump’s comments doubting the legitimacy of the last election “were very dangerous.”

Biden also cited Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, who did not directly answer a question about accepting Trump’s loss in the 2020 election during Tuesday's vice presidential debate, saying instead he was “focused on the future.”

The president said he is “concerned about what they’re going to do,” seemingly referring to Trump and Vance.

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Tangent

Vance again refused to say who he believed won the election in 2020 during a rally in Michigan this week, telling supporters he is focused on the upcoming election, according to the Associated Press, marking an apparent split between him and Trump, who has campaigned on doubting the legitimacy of the 2020 election.

Key Background

Biden has previously expressed concern over the peaceful transfer of power during the upcoming election, telling CBS News he was “not confident at all” about peace if Trump loses again. Biden also referred to a comment made by Trump this year in which the former president said there would “be a bloodbath for the whole country” if he is not elected, though Trump, who was talking to supporters in Ohio about insulating the U.S. auto industry from competition abroad, later said his comment was referring to the auto industry. Biden’s skepticism of Trump and a peaceful transfer of power is rooted in the former president’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election. Trump has pleaded not guilty to the four felony counts against him in his federal election interference case, which ramped up this week after Special Counsel Jack Smith’ set of new allegations against the former president were released in a redacted filing. Smith accused Trump of knowing his own claims about a fraudulent election were false and said Trump allegedly planned to claim victory before votes were completely tallied.

Further Reading

Trump Calls Jack Smith Filing ‘Election Interference’—As He Tees Up Dispute Of Potential Loss (Forbes)

The Biggest New Claims Against Trump In Jack Smith’s Bombshell Filing (Forbes)

JD Vance again refuses to say Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election (AP)