Trump refuses to commit to a peaceful transition of power after Election Day

President Donald Trump on Wednesday would not commit to providing a peaceful transition of power after Election Day, lending further fuel to concerns he may not relinquish his office should he lose in November. "Well, we're going to have to see what happens," Trump said when asked whether he'd commit to a peaceful transition, one of the cornerstones of American democracy.   

I’ve Never Been More Worried About American Democracy Than I Am Right Now
The preemptive attack on the vote count is a five-alarm fire.

With less than six weeks to go before Election Day, and with over 250 COVID-related election lawsuits filed across 45 states, the litigation strategy of the Trump campaign and its allies has become clear: try to block the expansion of mail-in balloting whenever possible and, in a few key states, create enough chaos in the system and legal and political uncertainty in the results that the Supreme Court, Congress, or Republican legislatures can throw the election to Trump if the outcome is at all close or in doubt. It’s a Hail Mary, but in a close enough election, we cannot count the possibility out. I’ve never been more worried about American democracy than I am right now. 

The Election That Could Break America 

If the vote is close, Donald Trump could easily throw the election into chaos and subvert the result. Who will stop him? 

According to sources in the Republican Party at the state and national levels, the Trump campaign is discussing contingency plans to bypass election results and appoint loyal electors in battleground states where Republicans hold the legislative majority. With a justification based on claims of rampant fraud, Trump would ask state legislators to set aside the popular vote and exercise their power to choose a slate of electors directly. The longer Trump succeeds in keeping the vote count in doubt, the more pressure legislators will feel to act before the safe-harbor deadline expires.

A culture of passive observation. Talking to your friends isn't political engagement. A politician states his intent to undermine our system of government, and the most journalists do is warn us, as if they were reporting a fire. 

"Are you a soldier or a citizen?" etc.

"Why did you choose the Corps Franc?"
"Because I understood," he said.