'This is an extremely flammable situation and he just threw a match into it': Chris Wallace, Jake Tapper and Savannah Guthrie lead anchors blasting Trump for prematurely declaring election victory
TV anchors including Chris Wallace, Jake Tapper and Savannah Guthrie have slammed Donald Trump for prematurely declaring victory in the presidential election.
The Commander-in-chief spoke from the White House early Wednesday morning claiming to have won states that were too close to call and asserting that Democrats were engaged in a fraudulent effort to steal the Presidency from him.
Trump made the remarks as votes were still being counted in crucial swing states including Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
'This is an extremely flammable situation and the president just threw a match into it,' Chris Wallace stated on Fox News broadcast.
'He hasn't won these states. Nobody is saying he's won the states. The states haven't said that he's won.'
Fox News host Chris Wallace has slammed Donald Trump for prematurely declaring victory in the presidential election
Despite the ideological differences between Fox and CNN, the sentiments over at the left-leaning news network were the same.
Host Jake Tapper stated: 'Almost everything President Trump said in his declaration of victory was not true'.
Meanwhile, NBC News cut into Trump's speech to fact check the Commander-in-chief.
Host Savannah Guthrie told viewers: 'We're listening to the President speaking at the White House, but we've got to dip in here because there have been several statements that are just frankly not true.'
Other TV news anchors were also quick to chide Trump for his comments, including CNN's Jake Tapper (pictured)
During his White House speech, Trump also vowed to mount a Supreme Court case, claiming he wanted 'all voting to stop' in case Democrats tried to deceitfully add ballots to the count.
He stated: 'This is a major fraud in our nation. We want the law to be used in a proper manner. So we'll be going to the US Supreme Court. We want all voting to stop. We don't want them to find any ballots at four o'clock in the morning and add them to the list. '
Wallace attacked Trump for that statement, telling Fox News viewers: 'Voting to stop, yes, but vote counting? You know, these states, by state law, all have the opportunity, and states routinely are unable to count votes by election night or early into the morning of the day after the election, and it goes on for days
'I don't know if he literally meant that he's gonna try to stop the counting of the vote, but I would think that would be extremely inflammatory, and frankly, I don't think it's something the courts will allow.'
NBC cut off Trump's speech, with Savannah Guthrie (pictured) stating: 'We're listening to the President speaking at the White House, but we've got to dip in here because there have been several statements that are just frankly not true'
On other networks, news anchors were also quick to chide Trump for those remarks.
ABC Correspondent Terry Moran accused the President of flouting the democratic process, stating: 'This isn't law, this isn't politics, this is theater. And let's be blunt: it's the theater of authoritarianism.'
On MSNBC, Brian Williams stated that Trump's claim about electoral fraud were 'not based in the facts at all.'
However, it wasn't just new anchors who were quick to critique the President.
Staunch Trump supporters and right-wing commentators also lashed out at Trump for falsely declaring victory and stating that the system was fraudulent.
Rick Santorum (left), the Republican former senator from Pennsylvania, and Chris Christie (right), the former New Jersey governor and adviser to President Trump, criticized the president on Wednesday for prematurely declaring victory
'Tonight was not the time to make this argument,' Trump ally and former Republican governor, Chris Christie, stated on ABC.
'It's gotta be bigger [than politics]. I disagree with what he did tonight. There comes a point where you have to let the process play out before you judge it to have been flawed.'
'By prematurely [declaring victory], if there is a flaw in it later, he has undercut his own credibility in calling attention to that flaw.
'So I think it's a bad strategic decision. It's a bad political decision.'
The Commander-in-chief spoke from the White House early Wednesday morning claiming to have won states that were too close to call and asserting that Democrats were engaged in a fraudulent effort to steal the Presidency from him
Meanwhile, Rick Santorum, the Republican former senator from Pennsylvania and CNN commentator who is largely sympathetic to Trump, also criticized the president on Wednesday.
'I was very distressed by what I heard the president say,' Santorum said.
'Using the word 'fraud' [to describe] people counting votes is wrong.
'I understand he sees votes potentially being shifted around in some places, but the reality is what's happening in Pennsylvania is they're counting the absentee and mail-in ballots now.'
'Some counties have stopped counting,' Santorum said. 'Why have they stopped counting? Because it's 2:48 in the morning now.'
'That's why they've stopped counting. People get tired, they make mistakes, and you stop counting. You take it up the next morning when people are fresh and everybody has a chance to make sure they're not making mistakes.'
The former senator added: 'They are not stopping counting because they are trying to fix anything or create any sort of fraud.'
'There's plenty of people there - poll watchers and others who are watching the counting.'
Author and podcaster Ben Shapiro tweeted: 'No, Trump has not already won the election, and it is deeply irresponsible for him to say he has.'
House Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican from Illinois, tweeted: 'Stop. Full stop. The votes will be counted and you will either win or lose.
'And America will accept that. Patience is a virtue.'
Elsewhere, other conservatives who support Trump also took the president to task.
Author and podcaster Ben Shapiro tweeted: 'No, Trump has not already won the election, and it is deeply irresponsible for him to say he has.'
Rich Lowry, the editor of the conservative National Review, said Trump's speech was 'bad.'
He noted that Vice President Mike Pence, who in his remarks that he gave after Trump spoke did not support the president's claims, 'tried to fix it by saying 'on the path to victory,' but there was no unringing the bell.'
'On top of the sheer irresponsibility of it, Trump contradicted himself on whether he wants the votes to keep being counted or stop being counted,' Lowry tweeted.
Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential candidate, is seen left with his wife, Jill, in Wilmington, Delaware, on Wednesday morning. Biden sounded optimistic about his chances of winning
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November 05, 2020
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