The Slatest

Trump Now Hints He May Not Accept Clinton Victory: “We’re Going to See”

Donald Trump walks off of the stage after speaking at a rally on September 30, 2016 in Novi, Michigan.  

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Donald Trump appears to be reconsidering his categorical statement after the first presidential debate that he would “absolutely” respect the results of the election, regardless of the winner. In an interview with the New York Times on Friday, the Republican presidential candidate left the whole thing up in the air: “We’re going to have to see. We’re going to see what happens. We’re going to have to see.”

Trump uttered the statement which the Times said was part of the candidate’s efforts “to unnerve Mrs. Clinton,” shortly after he raised the specter of voter fraud at a rally in suburban Detroit. Speaking to a mostly white crowd on Friday, Trump again called on his supporters to keep a watch on polling places on Election Day. “Make sure it’s on the up and up, because, you know what? That’s a big, big problem in this country, and nobody wants to talk about it,” he said at the rally.

In his interview with the Times, Trump also focused on former president Bill Clinton’s affairs, saying they reflected badly on his opponent and he would likely start talking about it more. “Hillary Clinton was married to the single greatest abuser of women in the history of politics,” Trump said. “Hillary was an enabler, and she attacked the women who Bill Clinton mistreated afterward. I think it’s a serious problem for them, and it’s something that I’m considering talking about more in the near future.”

Trump denied it was a bit hypocritical to talk about infidelities considering his personal history and the way he became involved with his second wife, Marla Maples, while he was still married to Ivana. When asked directly, he refused to discuss the issue. “I don’t talk about it. I wasn’t president of the United States. I don’t talk about it,” he said.

The Republican presidential candidate appears to be trying to shift focus to talking about Clinton’s marital history after he spent most of the week defending himself against charges of sexism tied with Alicia Machado, a Miss Universe winner. The way Clinton brought up Machado is another example of the former secretary of state uses women for her own political needs, Trump argued.

“She’s nasty, but I can be nastier than she ever can be,” the Republican candidate for president said.