Donald Trump Warns of 'Fraud' in U.S. Presidential Election

Donald Trump, the Republican candidate in the U.S. presidential election, has warned that there may be 'fraud' in this election. His claim has been described as unprecedented in the contemporary history of U.S. electoral competition. According to the Associated Press, he stated on Monday, August 1, at a rally in Columbus, Ohio, 'To be honest, I am worried about fraud in the election.' Without providing details, Trump mentioned that every day there are 'more and more' reports suggesting that this election is not free. These unprecedented statements from the Republican candidate, which lack any evidence, could threaten the peaceful tradition of presidential electoral competition and challenge its democratic process. Trump had previously accused Democrats of manipulating their electoral process to allow Hillary Clinton to defeat Bernie Sanders. This claim was made despite Clinton having received 3.7 million more votes than Sanders nationally and securing enough delegate votes on March 1. On Monday night, Trump also told Sean Hannity of Fox News, 'We better be careful on November 8 because there may be fraud in this election. I hope Republicans are vigilant, or else this election will be taken from us.' The Associated Press reports that it has requested further explanations from Trump's campaign but received no response. According to the news agency, the Republican candidate's claim could be an attempt to cover up a potential defeat in the presidential election. However, if he loses and later claims fraud, it could provoke unpredictable reactions from his supporters and Republican backers. In recent weeks, Trump has also claimed that the Democratic primary election process is fraudulent to anger Bernie Sanders supporters. On Monday night, he reiterated that Sanders 'has made a pact with the devil' and added that Clinton 'is the devil.' Clinton's campaign has not responded to these statements.