In the event of an election defeat

Trump does not rule out another outbreak of violence

Donald Trump is seen as a divider of US society.(Bild: AFP/Getty Images/Pool)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump believes political violence is conceivable in the USA if the election in the fall is not "fair". The ex-president has been constantly inflaming the political mood in the United States since his election defeat to Joe Biden four years ago.

Will it remain peaceful if Biden wins again? Trump replied to Time magazine in an interview published on Tuesday: "I think we're going to win. And if we don't win, it depends. It always comes down to the fairness of an election."

Trump then made reference to his well-disproven claim that he was cheated out of victory in the 2020 presidential election through massive fraud: "I don't think they're going to get away with it this time. And if they do, we will win in record fashion."

Interview took place in two parts
The interview was conducted in two parts in April. Trump was asked both times whether he expected political violence after the election. The first time he replied: "I think we're going to win a big victory. And I don't think there will be any violence." In the second part of the interview, he was then asked specifically what would happen in the event of a defeat.

The political mood in the USA has been heated for years - Trump's polarizing term in office and in particular the storming of the Capitol on 6 January 2021 still have an impact today. Back then, Trump's supporters violently invaded the parliament building in the capital Washington after an incendiary speech by the incumbent, who had already been voted out of office. Congress had convened there to formally confirm the victory of Democrat Biden.

Riots cost five lives
Five people died as a result of the riots. Since then, Trump has repeated the story of alleged electoral fraud countless times. He is now campaigning on this again. However, Trump himself has now been charged in connection with attempted electoral fraud because he tried to overturn the Democratic result of the 2020 presidential election retrospectively.

In January, US Attorney General Merrick Garland had denounced increasing threats against public officials and democratic institutions in the country at the start of the election year. Since then, fears seem to have been confirmed that the country's social divide could be further deepened by the foreseeable re-run of the Trump v Biden duel in November.