Donald Trump has been accused with “flirting with treason” by Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren over his refusal to commit to a peaceful transition of power should he lose November’s election to Joe Biden.
The president has claimed he was the victim of a “political hit” on the issue, accusing the US Food and Drug Administration of deliberately making approval standards more stringent for drug companies in order to delay the release of a Covid-19 vaccine until after Election Day.
Speaking to supporters at a “black economic empowerment” event on Friday, the president accused Black Lives Matter supporters of “hurting the black community” and touted his claims to improve the lives of black Americans during his term.
The president is expected to announce his nominee to the high court on Saturday. The White House has signalled that he will nominate Amy Coney Barrett for the role, what will be his third appointment since taking office.
Mr Biden and Jill Biden visited Washington DC on Friday to attend memorials for late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who is lying in state at the US Capitol. The president and top Republicans in Congress did not attend the service.
In an interview with MSNBC on Friday, Mr Biden refused to speculate on the doomsday scenarios that legal scholars and election analysts have considered following the president’s threats to the election, insisting that the president is using fear as a distraction from his administration’s failures.
The Democratic candidate instead suggested that the rule of law will prevail and American voters will have their voice heard at the polls.
“It’s always about distraction with him,” he said.
He called the president’s attempts to undermine the results of the election “irresponsible and outrageous" and he suggested that a massive voter turnout will overwhelm the president’s claims that the results will be disputed.
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