2020 ELECTION: “President Trump has told confidants he’ll declare victory on Tuesday night if it looks like he’s ‘ahead,’ according to three sources familiar with his private comments. That’s even if the Electoral College outcome still hinges on large numbers of uncounted votes in key states like Pennsylvania.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday evening [Nov. 1, 2020], Trump denied that he would declare victory prematurely, before adding, ‘I think it’s a terrible thing when ballots can be collected after an election. I think it’s a terrible thing when states are allowed to tabulate ballots for a long period of time after the election is over…’
Trump has privately talked through this scenario in some detail in the last few weeks, describing plans to walk up to a podium on election night and declare he has won.”
-Jonathan Swan, “Scoop: Trump’s plan to declare premature victory,” axios.com, Nov. 1, 2020