click to enlarge - Screenshot/ORCA Media
- Gov. Scott speaks at Friday's press conference.
In his first public appearance since easily winning reelection on Tuesday, Gov. Phil Scott on Friday condemned President Donald Trump for sowing distrust in the American electoral process.
Scott, a Republican who told reporters on Tuesday that
he'd voted for Democrat Joe Biden, said Trump was “hurting our society and our ability to work together.”
Quoting a tweet from former Pennsylvania governor and Homeland Security secretary Tom Ridge, Scott called the president's actions “absolutely shameful,”
"I don't believe any of the statements he made last night are true." Scott read from the tweet, saying, "I agree with this."
Scott’s remarks, at a Friday morning press conference, came in response to the president’s televised appearance Thursday night where he claimed that he would win if only “legal votes” were counted. There is no evidence to indicate any kind of widespread voter fraud.
Trump has also spent several days tweeting falsehoods about the election, many of which have been flagged by the social media platform.
Though the presidential race is usually called within the first day or two after polls close, the high volume of voters casting ballots by mail due to the pandemic has extended the counting process.
As of Friday afternoon, the Associated Press had not yet called races in three states where Biden appeared to have an edge — Georgia, Pennsylvania and Nevada. According to the AP’s tally, a race call in any of those three states would put Biden at or above the 270 electoral vote threshold needed to win the presidency. Most outlets have waited to call Arizona, which is also exceptionally close as ballots continue to be counted.
“We knew counting every vote in this unusual year would take time,” Scott said Friday morning.
But he urged Vermonters to have trust in the electoral process.
“When the results are clear, it’s time to move forward,” he said.
And he emphasized the importance of working together to combat COVID-19 in the coming months.
“Regardless of the outcome, it’s more important than ever to stay focused on beating this virus together,” he said.