U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump stated that he would be willing to concede defeat in Tuesday’s election, provided it is “a fair election,” though he expressed ongoing concerns over electronic voting machines.
“If I lose an election, if it’s a fair election, I would be the first one to acknowledge it… So far, I think it’s been fair,” Trump said in Florida after casting his vote, reiterating a caveat he has frequently used throughout his campaign.
Wearing a red “Make America Great Again” cap, Trump renewed his criticism of electronic voting machines, arguing they lack the security of paper ballots and could delay results. “They spend all this money on machines… If they would use paper ballots, voter ID, proof of citizenship, and one-day voting, it would all be over by 10 o’clock in the evening. It’s crazy,” he remarked to reporters in West Palm Beach.
Trump went on to claim that advanced watermark technology on paper ballots makes them more secure than electronic methods. “Do you know that paper is more sophisticated now than computers? If it’s watermarked paper, you cannot… It’s unbelievable what happens with it. There’s nothing you can do to cheat,” he added.
When asked if he would call on supporters to avoid violence in the event of unrest following the election, Trump dismissed the question, stating, “I don’t have to tell them that, that there’ll be no violence. Of course there’ll be no violence. My supporters are not violent people.”
