On Friday, former President Jimmy Carter said, “yes” when asked if he thinks that Donald Trump is an “illegitimate president.”
During a panel on human rights at the Carter Center in Virginia, the former president criticized Trump on how he handled Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, saying, “The president himself should condemn it, admit that it happened, which I think 16 intelligence agencies have already agreed to say.”
Carter continued, “There’s no doubt that the Russians did interfere in the election, and I think the interference, although not yet quantified, if fully investigated, would show that Trump didn’t actually win the election in 2016. He lost the election, and he was put into office because the Russians interfered on his behalf.”
Then moderator and historian Jon Meacham asked, “Do you believe President Trump is an illegitimate president?”
“Based on what I just said, which I can’t retract. I would say yes,” Carter said.
Former President Jimmy Carter: If fully investigated, it would show that Trump didn't actually win the election in 2016. He lost the election and he was put in office because the Russians interfered …on his behalf.
🎥 https://t.co/CYSBIK3qHF pic.twitter.com/o71Z4InVxB— CSPAN (@cspan) June 28, 2019
On Saturday, at a news conference after the G-20 summit in Japan, Trump responded: “Look, he was a nice man. He was a terrible president. He’s a Democrat. And it’s a typical talking point.” Trump continued, “He’s loyal to the Democrats. And I guess you should be. As everybody now understands, I won not because of Russia, not because of anybody but myself.”
Never one to take the high road, Trump went into full attack mode saying Carter has “been badly trashed. He’s like the forgotten president. And I understand why they say that. He was not a good president.”
It’s yet another example of Trump’s double-talk. He claims that Russia had nothing to do with him being elected even though during the campaign, he publicly begged them to hack and publish Hillary Clinton’s emails and has relentlessly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin, all while refusing to do anything to prevent Russian interference in the 2020 election. When asked about potential interference by media at the G-20 summit, Trump sarcastically told Putin on Friday, “Don’t meddle in the election,” with a trademark smirk.
With a smile, President Trump wags his finger at Russian President Vladimir Putin and tells him, "don't meddle in the election" https://t.co/M4RO1PLDEA pic.twitter.com/ZxgwKdwKHZ
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) June 28, 2019
