Democratic South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn said Sunday that he thinks President Donald Trump won’t allow a free election and “plans to install himself in some emergency way.”
“I believe very strongly this guy never had an idea about wanting to peacefully transfer power,” Clyburn told CNN’s “State of the Union” during a Sunday interview.
“I don’t think he plans to leave the White House. He doesn’t plan to have fair and unfettered elections,” Clyburn continued. “I believe that he plans to install himself in some kind of emergency way to continue to hold on to office and that is why the American people had better wake up.”
The Democratic whip in the House of Representatives was asked during the interview whether he still equates Trump to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.
He responded that he still did because “this man has taken on strong-arm tactics and I feel very strongly that he is like [Benito] Mussolini, [Vladimir] Putin and Hitler. I said that back then and I believe that.” (House Democratic Whip Disputes Black Unemployment Numbers — Says It Was Lowest During Slavery)
Clyburn claimed that his knowledge of history has taught him how democracies fail and that Trump “is trying to put a cloud over this election and floating the idea of postponing the elections.”
President Donald Trump speaks to members of the press prior to a Marine One departure from the South Lawn of the White House July 31, 2020 in Washington, DC. President Trump is traveling to Florida to attend campaign events and a COVID-19 response and storm preparedness roundtable. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
“That is some of the worst stuff I’ve ever heard in my life,” Clyburn said. “This is not a perfect democracy. But it’s better than any other that … exists and … if we are not careful, this country will be lost for our next generation.” (RELATED: House Democratic Whip Willing To Never Send Articles Of Impeachment To Senate)
Democratic California Rep. Maxine Waters also believes that Trump is planning to use the the crisis of violence in American cities remain president. She recently suggested that the president is sending “paramilitary police” to urban centers so that he can cling to power if not reelected in November.