Biden says military will escort Trump from White House if he loses 2020 election and refuses to leave

Joe Biden has claimed that the US military will escort president Donald Trump from the White House, if he loses in November’s presidential election and refuses to leave.

When asked during an interview with Trevor Noah, of The Daily Show on Wednesday, if he has thought about what would happen if Mr Trump refused to leave if he lost the election, the presumptive Democratic candidate for the 2020 election replied: “Yes I have.”

Mr Trump was criticised by former military officials last week, for his aggressive stance on protesters, who have demonstrated across the US, following the death of black man George Floyd, who died after being detained by police.

The president called in the National Guard to help with protests in some states, and US attorney general William Barr ordered protesters outside the White House gates to be dispersed with tear gas and rubber bullets, so Mr Trump could go to a photo opportunity at a nearby church.

The former vice president referenced Mr Trump’s use of military during the protests, and said: “So many rank and file military personnel saying ‘woah, we are not a military state, this is not who we are’.”

Mr Biden added: “I promise you, I am absolutely convinced they will escort him from the White House with great dispatch,” if the president lost the election and refused to leave.

During the interview, on Wednesday, Mr Noah asked the former vice president what his greatest concern with the president is, going into the election in five months time.

Mr Biden replied: “It’s my greatest concern, my single greatest concern. This president is going to try to steal this election.”

The president has publicly criticised the possible use of voting by mail in the November election, despite voting by that method himself in the Republican primary in Florida, earlier this year.

Last month, the president falsely and without citing any evidence, claimed on Twitter that “people grab them from mailboxes, print thousands of forgeries and ‘force’ people to sign. Also, forge names.”

Speaking to Mr Noah, Mr Biden criticised the president’s stance on voting by mail, which if allowed would enable a lot more voters in the US to take part in the election.

Mr Biden said: “This is a guy who said all mail-in ballots are fraudulent, voting by mail, while he sits behind the desk in the Oval Office and writes his mail-in ballot to vote in the primary.”

The former vice president also raised concerns that there could be delays in counting results, and long lines outside of polling stations, which would make it difficult for every person to vote.

Mr Biden said his team is planning a legal presence in states to try to prevent any issues with people voting.

He said: “We’re putting out a major initiative of lawyers to make sure we’re in every single district in the country to patrol this.”

Tim Murtaugh, communications director for the Trump Campaign, told the Independent: “This is just another brainless conspiracy theory from Joe Biden as he continues to try to undermine confidence in our elections.

“It was the Obama Administration that tried to subvert an election by spying on the Trump campaign in 2016 and Biden himself was part of the effort to sabotage the incoming Trump Administration because they couldn’t live with President Trump’s victory. President Trump has been clear that he will accept the results of the 2020 election.”