WASHINGTON – Former president Donald Trump has insisted that he had every right to interfere in the 2020 US presidential election – a statement which shows what the United States may have to face later this year.

The remarks came as the Americans are getting ready for 2024 elections, which are just over two months away and could prove to be most consequential the US history.

It is getting murkier given the fact that Trump has not made it clear so far whether he would unconditionally accept the results of the Nov 5 election if his Democratic rival, US Vice President Kamala Harris, wins.

PEACEFUL TRANSFER OF POWER?

It is universally believed that peaceful transfer of power is the most important ingredient for a democracy. But the rise of Trump and other far-right forces has developed into a biggest challenge for democracies around the world, as they tend to reject everything that bars them coming into power.

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However, it is very alarming trend that they present election platforms or manifestoes which are clearly anti-democracy in nature, but still manage to attract public support, while promoting hate in society.

“It’s so crazy, that my poll numbers go up. Whoever heard you get indicted for interfering with a presidential election, where you have every right to do it, you get indicted, and your poll numbers go up. When people get indicted your pull numbers go down,” Trump told on Fox News in an interview.

“Well, this is the worst case of election interference that anyone’s ever seen, certainly in our country,” Trump said.

He went on to argue those prosecuting the cases against him are politically biased against him. “This was all coming out of the Department of Justice in order to get their political opponent — me.”

CAPITOL HILL ATTACK

Meanwhile, Trump is already facing federal and state charges for allegedly trying to overturn his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden.

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A federal indictment accuses Trump of defrauding the US by attempting to prevent Congress from certifying Biden’s victory and deprive voters of their right to a fair election. He faced a revised federal indictment last month accusing him of illegally trying to overturn his 2020 election loss.

Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol Hill on Jan 6, 2021, in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent Congress from certifying the 2020 election results after weeks of false claims by Trump that he had won.

Trump faces similar charges in Fulton County, Georgia, where he was also charged with racketeering, which is used to target members of organized crime groups and carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.

That case, which is on hold while a state appeals court weighs the district attorney’s role, stems from a Jan 2, 2021, phone call in which Trump urged Georgia’s top election official, Brad Raffensperger, to “find” enough votes to reverse his narrow loss in the state. Raffensperger declined to do so.

ABOVE THE LAW

In their reaction, a statement issued by a spokesperson for Harris said Trump’s latest comments to Fox News and his previous remarks “make it clear that he believes he is above the law”.

“Now, Trump is claiming he had ‘every right’ to interfere in the 2020 election. He did not,” the statement read.