‘Ridiculous attack’: Donald Trump clarifies remark that people ‘won’t have to vote anymore’ if he wins the election

Donald Trump has sought to clarify what exactly he meant after one recent comment was interpreted, by his critics, as a sinister admission.

Donald Trump has sought to clarify what he meant when he told a crowd of supporters they “won’t have to vote anymore” if he wins the presidential election in November.

The remark in question, quickly seized upon by Mr Trump’s critics, was delivered to an audience of Christian voters in Florida on Friday.

“Get out and vote. Just this time. You won’t have to do it anymore. Four more years, you know what? It’ll be fixed, it’ll be fine, you won’t have to vote anymore,” he said.

Those predisposed to think the worst felt Mr Trump was signalling, in plain language, his intention to end elections in the United States. Others interpreted his comment as mere bluster, with Mr Trump meaning he would do such a good job during a second term as president that the result of future elections would no longer matter.

The full quote suggested the latter explanation was accurate.

“You’ve got to get out and vote. In four years, you don’t have to vote again. We’ll have it fixed so good you’re not going to have to vote.”

But that didn’t stop the internet from descending into a mild panic, or Kamala Harris’s campaign from claiming Mr Trump had promised “the end of our elections if he wins”.

Top Democrats followed suit. Here, for example, is the reaction from Congressman Adam Schiff: “This year democracy is on the ballot, and if we are to save it, we must vote against authoritarianism. Here Trump helpfully reminds us that the alternative is never having the chance to vote again.”

Speaking to Fox News on Monday night, US time, Mr Trump explained himself.

Donald Trump speaking to Laura Ingraham on Fox News.

Ms Ingraham sought clarification from the former president.

“They’re attacking you for ridiculous reasons. They’re saying that you said to a crowd of Christians that they won’t have to vote in the future,” host Laura Ingraham told him.

“Yeah. Let me say what I mean by that,” Mr Trump replied.

“I had a tremendous crowd, speaking to Christians. I mean, this was a crowd that liked me a lot. I think I’m at 97 per cent or something. And they’re treated very, very badly by this administration, OK? Catholics are treated unbelievably, they’re like, persecuted.”

(Here we might note that President Joe Biden is, himself, a Catholic.)

“And if I might say, before I go into the other. Jewish people. If you’re Jewish, and you vote for Biden or the Democrats or Kamala or whoever’s going to run, I guess it’s going to be her, but if you voted for her or the Democrats, you should have your head examined. Because nobody’s ever been treated so badly,” Mr Trump continued.

“This administration is destroying Israel, et cetera et cetera.

“With respect to, like, a statement, like I made, that statement is very simple. I said, ‘Vote for me, you are not going to have to do it ever again.’ It is true. Because we have to get the vote out. Christians are not known as a big voting group. They don’t vote! And I’m explaining that to them. You never vote. This time, vote.

“I’ll straighten out the country. You won’t have to vote anymore. I won’t need your vote. Look, Christians are known - you know who else doesn’t vote? Gun owners don’t vote.”

For what it’s worth Christians, particularly evangelicals, are actually an unusually reliable voting bloc in the US, as are gun owners.

Mr Trump speaking to supporters in North Carolina. Picture: Logan Cyrus/AFP

Kamala Harris. Picture: Brendan Smialowski/AFP

Ms Ingraham felt the need to interject at this point, to seek further clarification.

“Just to be clear, what you’re saying though, you’re not saying - it’s being interpreted, as you are not surprised to hear, by the left as, ‘They’re never going to have another election. He’s saying-’ So can you even just, respond to that?” she said.

“I said Christians, I started off by saying, ‘Just so you understand, you never vote.’ Christians do not vote well. They vote in very small percentages. Why, I don’t know,” said Mr Trump.

“I start by saying, ‘You don’t vote.’ I’m saying, ‘Go out. You must vote. November 5 is going to be the most important election in the history of our country.

“But I said to the Christians in the room, thousands of them, I said, ‘Typically, Christians do not vote. Why it is, I don’t know. You’re rebellious. Something’s going on. Don’t worry about the future. Vote on, you have to vote on November 5. After that, you don’t have to worry about voting anymore, I don’t care.

“The country will be fixed. And we won’t even need your vote anymore, because frankly, we will have such love. If you don’t want to vote anymore, that’s OK.”

Hopefully that clears everything up.

Elsewhere in the interview, Mr Trump got a touch personal towards his opponent, suggesting Ms Harris had been trying to tone down her characteristic laugh.

“She got rid of the laugh, I noticed. I haven’t seen the crazy laugh. She’s crazy. That’s laugh? That’s the laugh of a crazy person,” he said.

“But I noticed she’s not using that laugh anymore. Somebody convinced her, ‘Don’t, just don’t laugh. Don’t laugh under any circumstances.’”

“I like laughter,” Ms Ingraham said.

“Not her laughter,” said Mr Trump.

The former president has been trying out potential nicknames for Ms Harris, including “Laughing Kamala”. He has also sampled “Lyin’ Kamala”, harkening back to his old moniker for his 2016 Republican rival Ted Cruz. “Crooked Kamala” has made a few appearances, echoing his rhetoric towards Hillary Clinton. So far, nothing has quite stuck.