Experts laugh off Donald Trump's dark warnings about 'rigged' election

Donald Trump warns that the 2016 election is "rigged" against him
(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

On Monday, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump told a crowd in Ohio that he's afraid the November election is "gonna be rigged" against him, a charge he elaborated on to Fox News host Sean Hannity on Monday night.

"I've been hearing about it for a long time," Trump said when Hannity asked about his "rigged" concerns. "And I know last time, there were — you had precincts where there were practically nobody voting for the Republican. And I think that's wrong. I think that was unfair, frankly, to Mitt Romney." Trump warned that on "Nov. 8, we'd better be careful, because that election is going to be rigged. And I hope the Republicans are watching closely, or it's going to be taken away from us." Trump made a similar accusation in 2012, tweeting after Romney's loss that "this election is a total sham and a travesty. We are not a democracy!"

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.