Biden Campaign Condemns Trump False Victory Claim as 'Naked Effort to Take Away the Democratic Rights of American Citizens'

With millions of votes still left to count and several key battleground states very much up for grabs, the Biden campaign issued a statement early Wednesday morning denouncing President Donald Trump's false declaration of electoral victory, completely baseless claims of fraud, and threat to bring his case to the right-wing U.S. Supreme Court as "a naked effort to take away the democratic rights of American citizens."

"Having encouraged Republican efforts in multiple states to prevent the legal counting of these ballots before Election Day, now Donald Trump is saying these ballots can't be counted after Election Day either."
--Jen O'Malley Dillon, Biden campaign manager

"The president's statement tonight about trying to shut down the counting of duly cast ballots was outrageous, unprecedented, and incorrect," said Biden campaign manager Jen O'Malley Dillon. "Having encouraged Republican efforts in multiple states to prevent the legal counting of these ballots before Election Day, now Donald Trump is saying these ballots can't be counted after Election Day either."

While voicing confidence that former Vice President Joe Biden will emerge victorious once all legally cast ballots are tallied, Dillon stressed that "Donald Trump does not decide the outcome of this election. Joe Biden does not decide the outcome of this election. The American people decide the outcome of this election."

"And the democratic process must and will continue until its conclusion," Dillon said.

The Biden campaign's statement came hours after Trump, as predicted, took to a podium in the East Room of the White House and claimed outright victory in the election and vowed to turn to the U.S. Supreme Court--which now consists of three of his nominees--to help him stop the counting of legally submitted ballots.

At present, Biden holds a slim Electoral College lead with Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania--among other states--still outstanding. The winner of the remaining states could take days to determine as officials work to count the unprecedented number of mail-in ballots submitted amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"If the president makes good on his threat to go to court to try to prevent the proper tabulation of votes," said Dillon, "we have legal teams standing by ready to deploy to resist that effort. And they will prevail."

Read Dillon's statement in full:

The president's statement tonight about trying to shut down the counting of duly cast ballots was outrageous, unprecedented, and incorrect.

It was outrageous because it is a naked effort to take away the democratic rights of American citizens.

It was unprecedented because never before in our history has a president of the United States sought to strip Americans of their voice in a national election. Having encouraged Republican efforts in multiple states to prevent the legal counting of these ballots before Election Day, now Donald Trump is saying these ballots can't be counted after Election Day either.

And it was incorrect because it will not happen. The counting will not stop. It will continue until every duly cast vote is counted. Because that is what our laws--the laws that protect every American's constitutional right to vote--require.

We repeat what the Vice President said tonight: Donald Trump does not decide the outcome of this election. Joe Biden does not decide the outcome of this election. The American people decide the outcome of this election. And the democratic process must and will continue until its conclusion.

Nearly 100 million people cast their ballot before Election Day in the belief--and with the assurances from their state election officials--that their ballot would be counted. Now Donald Trump is trying to invalidate the ballot of every voter who relied on these assurances.

If the president makes good on his threat to go to court to try to prevent the proper tabulation of votes, we have legal teams standing by ready to deploy to resist that effort. And they will prevail.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will stand for the right of all Americans to have their votes counted--no matter who they voted for. And we remain confident that when that process is complete, Joe Biden will be the next president of the United States.

Progressive lawmakers also sounded the alarm over Trump's false victory declaration, denouncing it as a brazen power grab that, if successful, would silence millions of voters. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who easily won reelection Tuesday night, tweeted early Wednesday that "Donald Trump's premature claims of victory are illegitimate, dangerous, and authoritarian."

"Count the votes," continued the New York Democrat. "Respect the results."

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who also handily defeated her Republican opponent Tuesday, said in response to Trump's lie-filled victory speech that "you can't stop ballots from being counted. This isn't a dictatorship."

"This man is dangerous," Omar added.