一个引人注目的举动是，参议院周四一致通过了一项决议，重申其对总统离任后权力和平过渡的承诺唐纳德·特朗普如果他输了，他拒绝这样做选举。
这项由西弗吉尼亚州民主党参议员乔·曼钦提出的措施在一定程度上警告说，“鉴于行政权力转移所造成的任何混乱都可能产生不利于美国及其人民的安全和福祉的结果……”最后说参议院“打算总统或任何有权力的人不应该破坏推翻美国人民的意志。”
与此同时，特朗普坚持他周三晚上首次发表的评论，尽管白宫试图解释他的意思。
周四开始时，参议院最高共和党人、多数党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔(Mitch McConnell)在推特上反驳特朗普，称“11月3日选举的获胜者将于1月20日就职。自1792年以来，每四年都会有一次有序的过渡，”但像其他人一样，没有提到特朗普的名字。
11月3日选举的获胜者将于1月20日就职。自1792年以来，每四年都会有一次有序的过渡。
—组长麦康奈尔(@senatemajldr)2020年9月24日
麦康奈尔后来在参议院发言时没有提到这个爆炸性的话题。
2020年9月23日，华盛顿国会大厦，参议院多数党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔走向参议院。
然而，众议院议长南希·佩洛西没有退缩，他利用总统的讲话敦促选民在2020年选举中投票。
“我们不痛苦，我们组织，我们想确保美国人民知道他们的投票有多重要，”她说。“非常遗憾的是，你甚至不得不问这个问题，这是保护我们民主必要性的真实证明。”
这位加州民主党人表示，特朗普“钦佩”俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京、朝鲜独裁者金正恩和土耳其总统雷杰普·塔伊普·埃尔多安等领导人，他呼吁总统遵守他的就职宣誓。
“他试图让美国宪法吞下克洛克斯，”佩洛西说。
"他试图让美国宪法吞下克洛克斯."
当被问及特朗普是否会承认拜登的胜利时，佩洛西说，她“对他疯狂的方法有很好的了解”，共和党的“串通一气”令人“震惊”。https://t.co/fylU8NGJf8pic.twitter.com/0Sr6904gnI
——美国广播公司新闻政治(@美国广播公司政治)2020年9月24日
在周三晚上的白宫新闻发布会上，当被问及他是否会平静地离开白宫时，特朗普回答说，“好吧，我们要看看会发生什么。你知道的。”
2020年9月23日，DC，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普在白宫布雷迪简报室的新闻发布会上发表讲话。
当第二次被问及他是否会“致力于确保权力的和平移交”时，特朗普再次转向他关于邮寄选票存在广泛欺诈的毫无根据的说法。
特朗普说:“我们希望——扔掉选票，你会过得非常平静，坦率地说，不会有转移。”“会有延续的。”
周四，美国广播公司首席白宫记者乔纳森·卡尔问白宫新闻秘书凯丽·麦克纳尼，“如果总统在这次选举中失败，白宫会向我们保证权力将会和平移交吗?很简单的问题。”
“总统将接受自由公正的选举结果，”麦克纳尼回应道。
当另一个记者跟进，问:“就为了搞清楚这一点，只有总统赢了，结果才合法吗?”
“总统将接受自由公平选举的结果，”她重复道。"他将接受美国人民的意愿。"
2020年9月24日，华盛顿，唐纳德·特朗普总统在离开白宫前与记者交谈。
随后，特朗普在前往北卡罗来纳州的白宫南草坪对记者说，只有在他获胜的情况下，他才会说他是否认为这次选举是合法的。
“我们想确保选举是诚实的。我不确定这是否可能，”特朗普说。
领导参议院司法委员会的共和党人林赛·格雷厄姆周四上午告诉《福克斯与朋友》，没有什么可担心的。
“人们对权力的和平转移感到疑惑。我可以向你保证这将是和平的。现在，我们可能会为谁赢得选举而打官司...格雷厄姆说:“如果共和党输了，我们会接受结果。”他指出，法庭质疑是特朗普的最高法院提名需要在选举前得到确认的一个关键原因。
犹他州共和党参议员米特·罗姆尼(Mitt Romney)在一夜之间的推特上的反应更加尖锐，他说权力的和平过渡是“民主的基础”，但他也没有点名特朗普。
民主的根本是权力的和平过渡;没有这一点，就有白俄罗斯。任何关于总统可能不尊重宪法保障的建议都是不可想象和不可接受的。
—米特·罗姆尼(@米特·罗姆尼)2020年9月24日
周四，当被记者问及时，罗姆尼说他“绝对相信如果有新总统，将会有一个和平的过渡”。
罗姆尼说:“毫无疑问，所有宣誓支持宪法的人都会确保权力的和平过渡，包括总统在内。”
众议院第三大共和党人、众议员利兹·切尼(Liz Cheney)此前曾回击特朗普，他在推特上表示，和平移交权力是“我们共和国生存的基础”。
权力的和平转移已载入我国宪法，对我国的生存至关重要。美国领导人对宪法宣誓。我们会遵守誓言。
——利兹·切尼(@利兹_切尼)2020年9月24日
其他几名共和党人指出，和平移交权力在民主制度中发挥着至关重要的作用，包括缅因州参议员苏珊·科林斯，她说她对特朗普的言论感到关切。
“和平移交权力是我们民主的基本原则。我有信心我们会看到它再次发生，”柯林斯周四说。“我不知道他是怎么想的，但我们在两届政府之间一直保持着和平过渡。”
为了转移对特朗普言论的批评，几位共和党人指出了希拉里·克林顿在8月份对Showtime的《马戏团》的评论。克林顿在概述她认为特朗普可能会以缺席投票为目标来抹黑选举结果后，建议拜登“不要让步”。
克林顿在采访中说:“乔·拜登在任何情况下都不应该让步，因为我认为这将会拖延下去，最终我相信如果我们不让步，如果我们像对方一样专注和无情，他就会赢。”
参议院财政委员会主席查克·格拉斯利周四对记者表示:“他说什么和希拉里建议拜登做什么没有关系:不要在选举中让步。”。
罗伊·布朗特议员。，还指了指克林顿的评论。
布朗特说:“无论是克林顿夫人告诉乔·拜登永远不要让步，还是任何其他暗示我们不会恰当地结束今年的选举年的说法，我当然对此感到担忧，但双方在这个问题上都没有帮助。”“但会有一个——如果总统连任，就没有过渡，如果他没有，1月20日就会有和平过渡。”
弗吉尼亚州参议员蒂姆·凯恩星期四说，他一点也不担心拜登会不接受2020年选举的结果。
凯恩说:“如果这是一个明确的结果，那是毫无疑问的。”。“我们可能会有一个模糊的结果，然后我们必须等待，让它变得清晰，但毫无疑问，他会接受一个明确的结果。”
伊利诺伊州的迪克·德宾是参议院中排名第二的民主党人，他称特朗普是“对宪法的真正威胁”
“这是美国总统令人恐惧的言辞。他对美国人民说的是，如果你愿意，就去投票吧。但我不确定我会接受你的投票，因为这是美国的真实情感。如果总统不接受选举结果，这就对我们民主的基础提出了质疑。这不是他第一次说这句话，所以我们知道他确信这句话有多重要。但美国人民应该相信，这位总统对我们的宪法是一个真正的威胁，”他周四上午告诉记者。
马萨诸塞州参议员伊丽莎白·沃伦附和了他的意见。他把总统比作独裁者。
沃伦说:“唐纳德·特朗普的声明是独裁者说的话，尽管独裁者通常不会提前宣布他们的计划。”“他想被任命为终身总统，国家的国王。民主不是这样运作的。”
北达科他州的共和党参议员凯文·克莱默对此并不关心。
“总统有时说话的方式过于极端，老实说，我不认为他昨晚说的话过于极端。我只是认为他的观点是，我们将看到选举后会发生什么，”克拉默说。
Unanimous Senate commits to peaceful transfer of power after Trump refuses
In a remarkable move, the Senate on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution reaffirming its commitment to a peaceful transition of power in the wake of PresidentDonald Trump's refusal to do so if he loses theelection.
The measure, authored by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, warns, in part, "Whereas any disruption occasioned by the transfer of the executive power could produce results detrimental to the safety and well-being of the United States and its people ..." and ends saying that the Senate "intends that there should be no disruptions by the President or any person in power to overturn the will of the people of the United States."
Trump, meanwhile, stood by his comments first made Wednesday night even as the White House tried to explain what he meant.
As the day began Thursday, the top Republican in the Senate, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, pushed back on Trump, tweeting, "The winner of the November 3rd election will be inaugurated on January 20th. There will be an orderly transition just as there has been every four years since 1792," but like others did not mention Trump by name.
The winner of the November 3rd election will be inaugurated on January 20th. There will be an orderly transition just as there has been every four years since 1792.
— Leader McConnell (@senatemajldr)September 24, 2020
McConnell made no mention of the explosive subject when he spoke later on the Senate floor.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell walks to the Senate floor in the Capitol in Washington, Sept. 23, 2020.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi didn't hold back, though, using the president's remarks to urge voter turnout in the 2020 election.
"We don't agonize, we organize, and we want to make sure the American people know how important their vote is," she said. "It's very sad that you even have to ask that question, a real testimony to the need to protect our democracy."
The California Democrat, who has said Trump "admires" leaders like Vladimir Putin of Russia, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, called on the president to honor his oath of office.
"He's trying to have the Constitution of the United States swallow Clorox," Pelosi said.
“He is trying to have the Constitution of the United States swallow Clorox.”
Asked of her plan if Trump won’t recognize a Biden victory, Pelosi says, she has "a pretty good idea of the method of his madness" and it's "stunning" how "complicit" GOP are.https://t.co/fylU8NGJf8pic.twitter.com/0Sr6904gnI
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics)September 24, 2020
Asked if he will leave the White House peacefully at a White House news conference Wednesday night, Trump had responded, "Well, we're going to have to see what happens. You know that."
When pressed for a second time if he would "commit to making sure that there's a peaceful transferral of power," Trump again turned to his baseless claim of widespread fraud involving mail-in ballots.
"We want to have -- get rid of the ballots and you'll have a very peaceful, there won't be a transfer, frankly," Trump said. "There'll be a continuation."
On Thursday, ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl asked White House press secretary Kayleigh McNenany, “If the president loses this election, will this White House, will this president assure us that there will be a peaceful transfer of power? It’s a very simple question.”
“The president will accept the results of a free and fair election,” McEnany responded.
When another reporter followed up, asking: “Just to understand this clearly, are the results legitimate only if the president wins?”
"The president will accept the results of a free and fair election,” she repeated. “He will accept the will of the American people.”
President Donald Trump talks to journalists before departing the White House, Sept. 24, 2020, in Washington.
Later, speaking to reporters on the White House South Lawn as he left for North Carolina, Trump would not say whether he would consider the election legitimate only if he wins.
“We want to make sure the election is honest. I’m not sure that it can be,” Trump said.
The Republican who heads the Senate Judiciary Committee, Lindsey Graham, told "Fox and Friends" Thursday morning there was nothing to worry about.
"People wonder about the peaceful transfer of power. I can assure you it will be peaceful. Now, we may have litigation about who won the election ... and if Republicans lose we'll accept the result," Graham said, noting a court challenge was a key reason why Trump's Supreme Court nominee needed to be confirmed before the election.
GOP Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah was more pointed in his reaction in a tweet overnight, saying a peaceful transition of power was "fundamental to democracy," but he also did not call out Trump by name.
Fundamental to democracy is the peaceful transition of power; without that, there is Belarus. Any suggestion that a president might not respect this Constitutional guarantee is both unthinkable and unacceptable.
— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney)September 24, 2020
On Thursday, Romney said he was "absolutely confident there will be a peaceful transition if there’s a new president," when asked by reporters.
"No question that all the people sworn to support the Constitution would assure that there would be a peaceful transition of power, including the president," Romney said.
Rep. Liz Cheney, the third-ranking House Republican who has pushed back at Trump previously, tweeted a peaceful transfer of power is "fundamental to the survival of our Republic."
The peaceful transfer of power is enshrined in our Constitution and fundamental to the survival of our Republic. America’s leaders swear an oath to the Constitution. We will uphold that oath.
— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney)September 24, 2020
Several other Republicans pointed to the vital role a peaceful transfer of power plays in a democratic system, including Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who said she was concerned by Trump's comments.
"The peaceful transfer of power is a fundamental tenet of our democracy. And I am confident that we will see it occur once again," Collins said Thursday. "I don't know what his thinking was, but we have always had a peaceful transition between administrations."
In an effort to deflect criticism of Trump's remarks, several Republicans pointed to comments Hillary Clinton made in August to Showtime's "The Circus." Clinton, after outlining that she believes Trump may target absentee ballots to discredit the election outcome, advised that Biden "not concede."
"Joe Biden should not concede under any circumstances because I think this is going to drag out, and eventually I do believe he will win if we don't give an inch and if we are as focused and relentless as the other side is," Clinton said in the interview.
"What he says doesn't matter any more than what Hillary Clinton advised Biden to do: Don't concede the election," Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley told reporters Thursday.
Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., also pointed to the Clinton comment.
"Whether it’s Mrs. Clinton telling Joe Biden to never concede or any other suggestion that somehow we won’t finish this election year appropriately of course I’m concerned about that but both sides are unhelpful on this topic," Blunt said. "But there will be a - if the president is reelected there is no transition and if he’s not there will be a peaceful transition on January 20."
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said Thursday he is not at all concerned that Biden would not accept the outcome of the 2020 election.
"If it's a clear outcome, there is no question," Kaine said. "We could have a murky outcome and then we have to wait and get it to be clear but there is no question that he will accept a clear outcome."
The second-ranking Democrat in the Senate, Dick Durbin of Illinois, called Trump "a real danger to the Constitution."
"This is frightening rhetoric from the President of the United States. What he said to the American people was, go ahead and vote if you wish. But I'm not sure I’ll accept your vote as the real sentiment of America. That questions the very foundation of our democracy, if a president does not accept the results of an election. It's not the first time he’s said it, so we know that he’s convinced of how important that statement is. But the American people should be convinced that this president is a real danger to our Constitution," he told reporters Thursday morning.
His comments were echoed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who likened the president to a dictator.
"Donald Trump’s statement is what a dictator says although usually dictators don’t announce in advance what their plans are," Warren said. "He wants to be named president for life, king of the country. That’s not how Democracy works."
GOP Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota wasn't concerned.
"The president speaks in overly extreme manners on occasion, I didn't find what he said last night to be overly extreme quite honestly. I just thought that what he's making the point that we'll see what happens after the election," Cramer said.
