Clinton calls Trump a 'sore loser'
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[October 24, 2016]
By Luciana Lopez and Emily Stephenson
CHARLOTTE, N.C./NAPLES, Fla. (Reuters) -
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton called Donald Trump a
"sore loser" on Sunday because of his refusal at their debate last week
to commit to accepting the results of the Nov. 8 election.
Clinton, a former secretary of state, said Trump's comments were more
consistent with what dictators in non-democratic countries might say
about their opponents.
"To say you won’t respect the results of the election, that is a direct
threat to our democracy," Clinton told a rally at the University of
North Carolina at Charlotte. "The peaceful transfer of power is one of
the things that makes America America."
"And look, some people are sore losers, and we just got to keep going,"
she added.
Earlier on Sunday, Kellyanne Conway, a top Trump adviser, acknowledged
that the Republican presidential candidate was lagging behind Clinton
ahead of the election.
Conway said Clinton had "tremendous advantages," including a large
campaign war chest that had allowed her to spend millions on television
ads.
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"We are behind," Conway said on NBC's "Meet the Press." But she added
the Trump campaign was looking to sway undecided voters not ready to
support Clinton.
As the polling gap has widened, Trump has said repeatedly the election
is being "rigged" against him. He has not offered evidence and numerous
studies have shown that the U.S. election system, which is decentralized
and run by the states, is sound.
At last week's debate with Clinton in Las Vegas, Trump was asked if he
would honor the result of the U.S. election.
"What I'm saying is that I will tell you at the time. I'll keep you in
suspense. OK?" Trump said.
EARLY VOTING
As she visited North Carolina, Clinton urged her supporters to
participate in early voting.
"From now until Nov. 5, you can vote early at any voting location in
your county. And you know, this is a big deal,” Clinton said at a
campaign event in Raleigh.
Campaigning in Naples, Florida, on Sunday, Trump also encouraged voters
to go to the polls to vote both for him and Republicans running for
Congress and other offices.
"You have 16 days to make this happen, but you have to get out and vote,
and that includes helping me re-elect Republicans all over the place."
"I hope they help me too. Be nice if they help us too, right?" said
Trump, who has sparred with many prominent members of his party,
including U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, the country's
top elected Republican.
The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Friday had Clinton leading
Trump by 4 percentage points, and the most recent State of the Nation
project showed Clinton with a 95 percent chance of winning the 270
Electoral College votes needed to secure the presidency.
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![](../images/102416pics/news_a1.jpg)
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks at campaign
rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S., October 23, 2016.
REUTERS/Carlos Barria
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An ABC News poll released on Sunday morning had Clinton leading with
50 percent of likely support, compared with Trump's 38 percent. The
poll found that the number of Republicans who said they were likely
to vote fell 7 percentage points from mid-October.
As Trump battled to win over undecided voters, advisers and members
of his inner circle sought to downplay his remarks about the
integrity of the election, in an indication he would come under
significant pressure to accept the election results if he were to
lose.
Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus said that by asking Trump
to agree to concede, the media were making an extraordinary request.
He said Trump would only fight if the election were close and was
not trying to dispute a fair election.
"That’s not quite what he’s saying. What he’s saying is he wants to
reserve all options and if there is ground for a recount, I’ll
reserve all options," Priebus said on CBS's "Face The Nation."
Trump's son Eric said on Sunday that Trump would "100 percent"
accept the results of the election if the outcome is "fair."
“I think what my father is saying is, 'I want a fair election,’”
Eric Trump said on ABC's "This Week." “If it’s a fair outcome, he
will absolutely accept it. There’s no question about that."
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On Sunday, Trump picked up his first endorsement of the general
election from a major newspaper when the Las Vegas Review-Journal
backed his candidacy. The newspaper is owned by Republican
mega-donor Sheldon Adelson, who has been reluctant to donate to
Trump. In 2012, Adelson spent about $150 million trying to help
elect Republican Mitt Romney.
(Additional reporting by Alana Wise and Ginger Gibson in Washington;
Editing by Caren Bohan and Peter Cooney)
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