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| Democrats Play Up Donald Trump’s Hedge on Accepting Election Result | Democrats Play Up Donald Trump’s Hedge on Accepting Election Result |
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| Democrats assailed Donald J. Trump on Thursday morning for his refusal to say he would abide by the results of the election, seizing on his provocative performance in the final presidential debate to brand him as a threat to the political system. | Democrats assailed Donald J. Trump on Thursday morning for his refusal to say he would abide by the results of the election, seizing on his provocative performance in the final presidential debate to brand him as a threat to the political system. |
| Hillary Clinton and her running mate, Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, both said Mr. Trump’s defiant comments were far beyond the political mainstream. Mrs. Clinton, who called Mr. Trump’s remarks “horrifying” during the debate, repeated that criticism on board her campaign plane overnight and said Mr. Trump was bucking centuries of American tradition. | Hillary Clinton and her running mate, Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, both said Mr. Trump’s defiant comments were far beyond the political mainstream. Mrs. Clinton, who called Mr. Trump’s remarks “horrifying” during the debate, repeated that criticism on board her campaign plane overnight and said Mr. Trump was bucking centuries of American tradition. |
| “We are a country based on laws, and we’ve had hot, contested elections going back to the very beginning,” Mrs. Clinton told reporters in Las Vegas late Wednesday aboard her flight back to New York. “But one of our hallmarks has always been that we accept the outcomes of our election.” | |
| Mr. Kaine went further in a series of television interviews, saying Mr. Trump was trying to take down a “central pillar” of the political system because he is on track for defeat. | Mr. Kaine went further in a series of television interviews, saying Mr. Trump was trying to take down a “central pillar” of the political system because he is on track for defeat. |
| Mr. Kaine said he hoped voters would give the Democratic ticket “a mandate” in the election so that Mr. Trump cannot cast doubt on the outcome. | Mr. Kaine said he hoped voters would give the Democratic ticket “a mandate” in the election so that Mr. Trump cannot cast doubt on the outcome. |
| “Donald is still going to whine if he loses, but if the mandate is clear, I don’t think many people will follow him,” he said on CNN, adding: “We’re confident in the American public.” | “Donald is still going to whine if he loses, but if the mandate is clear, I don’t think many people will follow him,” he said on CNN, adding: “We’re confident in the American public.” |
| Mr. Trump’s refusal to pledge that he will respect the election returns has overshadowed the rest of his final debate with Hillary Clinton on Wednesday, throwing his supporters onto the defensive and threatening to consume Mr. Trump’s campaign with less than three weeks to Election Day. | |
| Mrs. Clinton and her allies have criticized Mr. Trump throughout the presidential race for rejecting American political norms around civility and social tolerance, and his defiant comments on Wednesday gave them a new opening to raise the alarm. Mr. Kaine went as far as citing his own experience as a missionary in Honduras, under a military dictatorship, to stress the importance of respecting democratic institutions. | Mrs. Clinton and her allies have criticized Mr. Trump throughout the presidential race for rejecting American political norms around civility and social tolerance, and his defiant comments on Wednesday gave them a new opening to raise the alarm. Mr. Kaine went as far as citing his own experience as a missionary in Honduras, under a military dictatorship, to stress the importance of respecting democratic institutions. |
| And Mrs. Clinton, who called Mr. Trump’s remarks “horrifying” during the debate, repeated that language to reporters on her overnight flight. | |
| Mr. Trump’s advisers have tried to cast his remarks in a softer light in the hours since the debate in Las Vegas, sidestepping his literal words to claim Mr. Trump intended to merely leave open his options in the event of an extraordinarily close and genuinely uncertain result. | Mr. Trump’s advisers have tried to cast his remarks in a softer light in the hours since the debate in Las Vegas, sidestepping his literal words to claim Mr. Trump intended to merely leave open his options in the event of an extraordinarily close and genuinely uncertain result. |
| Kellyanne Conway, Mr. Trump’s campaign manager, said on ABC News that Mr. Trump “respects the principles of democracy,” and described him as “willing to respect the free and fair democratic process.” She insisted that Mr. Trump had not signaled he would defy the results of the election, but had rather declined to contemplate an outcome that has not yet occurred. | Kellyanne Conway, Mr. Trump’s campaign manager, said on ABC News that Mr. Trump “respects the principles of democracy,” and described him as “willing to respect the free and fair democratic process.” She insisted that Mr. Trump had not signaled he would defy the results of the election, but had rather declined to contemplate an outcome that has not yet occurred. |
| “He did not say, ‘I won’t accept it if I don’t win,’” Ms. Conway said on CNN. “He said, ‘Let’s see what happens.’” | “He did not say, ‘I won’t accept it if I don’t win,’” Ms. Conway said on CNN. “He said, ‘Let’s see what happens.’” |
| But Ms. Conway also echoed Mr. Trump’s angry lament that the political process is tilted against him, and attacked the news media as biased against her candidate and supportive of Mrs. Clinton’s campaign. “This is not how a full and fair democracy works,” Ms. Conway said on ABC. | But Ms. Conway also echoed Mr. Trump’s angry lament that the political process is tilted against him, and attacked the news media as biased against her candidate and supportive of Mrs. Clinton’s campaign. “This is not how a full and fair democracy works,” Ms. Conway said on ABC. |
| The uproar over Mr. Trump’s willingness to abide by the results of a democratic election threatens to further unravel a candidacy already in sharp decline. Mr. Trump has fallen well behind Mrs. Clinton in the polls after three strong debate performances, and as Mr. Trump has faced escalating accusations that he sexually assaulted women. | The uproar over Mr. Trump’s willingness to abide by the results of a democratic election threatens to further unravel a candidacy already in sharp decline. Mr. Trump has fallen well behind Mrs. Clinton in the polls after three strong debate performances, and as Mr. Trump has faced escalating accusations that he sexually assaulted women. |
| With many Republicans having abandoned his campaign, Mr. Trump has spent most of the last week railing against what he has called a “rigged” election. He has said, without evidence, that there could be widespread fraud at the polls, including by undocumented immigrants, and claimed there is a conspiracy among Mrs. Clinton, international corporations and the media to block his candidacy. | With many Republicans having abandoned his campaign, Mr. Trump has spent most of the last week railing against what he has called a “rigged” election. He has said, without evidence, that there could be widespread fraud at the polls, including by undocumented immigrants, and claimed there is a conspiracy among Mrs. Clinton, international corporations and the media to block his candidacy. |
| Mr. Trump has faced censure from some Republican leaders and election officials in both parties for questioning the democratic process, and his debate answer is likely to prompt new rebukes from the right. | Mr. Trump has faced censure from some Republican leaders and election officials in both parties for questioning the democratic process, and his debate answer is likely to prompt new rebukes from the right. |
| On Wednesday night, several Republican members of Congress stepped forward to chastise Mr. Trump, including Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who said on social media that Mr. Trump was “doing the party and country a great disservice” by attacking the integrity of elections. | On Wednesday night, several Republican members of Congress stepped forward to chastise Mr. Trump, including Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who said on social media that Mr. Trump was “doing the party and country a great disservice” by attacking the integrity of elections. |
| But Mr. Trump may be unlikely to bow to the backlash. He already effectively overruled his advisers by saying on the debate stage that he would leave the country in suspense as to how he would handle defeat. | But Mr. Trump may be unlikely to bow to the backlash. He already effectively overruled his advisers by saying on the debate stage that he would leave the country in suspense as to how he would handle defeat. |
| Several of Mr. Trump’s closest allies, including Ms. Conway and Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana, his running mate, said in advance of the debate that he would certainly concede to Mrs. Clinton if she won the election — only to see Mr. Trump render their comments inoperative with his own debate performance. | Several of Mr. Trump’s closest allies, including Ms. Conway and Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana, his running mate, said in advance of the debate that he would certainly concede to Mrs. Clinton if she won the election — only to see Mr. Trump render their comments inoperative with his own debate performance. |
| Mr. Kaine also seized on Mr. Trump’s debate words to intensify the Democratic message that Mr. Trump is too reckless and crass to be president. He said Mr. Trump had been “disrespectful” to Mrs. Clinton, by referring to her as a “nasty woman,” and expressed disbelief at Mr. Trump’s suggestion that the military effort to oust the Islamic State from Mosul, in Iraq, was intended to help Mrs. Clinton’s campaign. | Mr. Kaine also seized on Mr. Trump’s debate words to intensify the Democratic message that Mr. Trump is too reckless and crass to be president. He said Mr. Trump had been “disrespectful” to Mrs. Clinton, by referring to her as a “nasty woman,” and expressed disbelief at Mr. Trump’s suggestion that the military effort to oust the Islamic State from Mosul, in Iraq, was intended to help Mrs. Clinton’s campaign. |
| That charge, Mr. Kaine said on MSNBC, was “a shocking display of ignorance that was disrespectful to American troops.” | That charge, Mr. Kaine said on MSNBC, was “a shocking display of ignorance that was disrespectful to American troops.” |