Donald Trump just said he may not accept the results of the election
Donald Trump just gave the only answer at the debate that really matters.
The Republican nominee for president refused to say that he would accept the result of the upcoming election.
"I will look at it at the time," Trump said after being asked by moderator Chris Wallace about Trump's recent claims that the election is going to be rigged.
Trump had been hinting at the idea that the election will not be fair. That claim has now become a big part of his recent speeches following accusations from numerous women that they had been sexually assaulted by Trump. He has also said that the media is part of a conspiracy to rig the election against him.
But Trump's declaration on a national stage that he would not necessarily accept the election results pushed the narrative to a new level. It's a level many believe to be very dangerous for the legitimacy of the U.S. government.
Clinton didn't hold back in her response.
"Chris, let me respond to that because that is horrifying," she said.
Trump's answer contradicted his response to the same question at the last debate. "If she wins, I will absolutely support her," Trump said in the second debate.
The news quickly became the headline of the debate. The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post and Los Angeles Times splashed their websites with Trump's claim.
The Associated Press also led their main debate story with Trump's answer.
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NBC News reporter Chris Jansing reported that Reince Priebus, head of the Republican National Committee, contradicted Trump after the debate.
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Plenty of politicos and journalist on Twitter denounced Trump's answer.
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Trump's answer did receive some support among conservatives.
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When asked about Trump's response, Clinton pointed to Trump's repeated refusal to accept losing — including when he lost out on an Emmy award. Trump did claim the Emmys were "all politics" in a tweet in 2012.
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Topics Donald Trump Elections Hillary Clinton
Jason Abbruzzese is a Business Reporter at Mashable. He covers the media and telecom industries with a particular focus on how the Internet is changing these markets and impacting consumers. Prior to working at Mashable, Jason served as Markets Reporter and Web Producer at the Financial Times. Jason holds a B.S. in Journalism from Boston University and an M.A. in International Affairs from Australian National University.
