Trump attacks Clinton on trade, says he should be handed victory
NC US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump criticized Democrat Hillary Clinton on October 27 over her trade policies, saying she would handle trade deals so badly that the country should "just cancel the election" and name him the victor.
"We should just cancel the election and just give it to Trump, right?" he said. "What are we even having it for? Her policies are so bad."
Trump said he believed Clinton would seek passage of the 12-nation Trans Pacific Partnership, President Barack Obama's signature Asian trade deal, which she now opposes.
Trump's remarks come as the New York businessman tries to steady rocky poll numbers amid a series of controversies and self-inflicted wounds.
He has struggled to handle the fallout from a series of accusations from women that he groped them or kissed them without their consent. Trump has called the allegations "absolutely false."
The latest RealClearPolitics poll average showed Clinton with a nearly 6-point national lead over Trump, fueled by declining support among women for the former reality TV star.
Trump, without evidence, has blamed his sagging poll numbers on a rigged election, and said the media had fixed the opinion polls in order to inflate Clinton's numbers.
Numerous studies have shown that voter fraud in US elections is very rare, and a number of prominent Republicans have denounced Trump's claim that the system is unsound.
While Trump campaigned in Ohio, a plane carrying his running mate, Indiana Governor Mike Pence, skidded off the runway after landing at New York City's LaGuardia Airport on October 27 night. There were no injuries, the Pence campaign said.