Trump says he 'shouldn't have left' White House after 2020 loss

LITITZ, Pa. - Two days before the 2024 election, former President Donald Trump campaigned in swing state Pennsylvania and suggested that he "shouldn't have left" the White House after his 2020 loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

In remarks on Sunday at a rally in Lititz, a borough just north of Lancaster, Trump made the comments while claiming to have had "the safest U.S. border in the history of our country on the day that I left." 

"I shouldn’t have left," Trump told supporters. "I mean, honestly, because we did so, we did so well."

The former president has repeatedly cast doubt on the integrity of the vote throughout the campaign and resurrected old grievances after trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat. 

Trump has also argued that he can only lose to Democrat Kamala Harris if he is cheated, even though polls suggest a very tight race between the two candidates in the final days before the election.

"It’s a crooked country," Trump railed to his crowd on a chilly airport tarmac, returning to the grievance that had defined the early days of his campaign. "They’ll want to put you in jail because you want to make it straight. Think of it, think of it. They cheat in elections and you call them on it and they want to put you in jail."

Trump was indicted for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election in both Washington and Georgia.

During his Pennsylvania rally, Trump also stepped up his verbal attacks on what he calls a "demonic" Democratic Party and the American media, and at one point, violence against members of the press.

Noting the ballistic glass that is used to protect him at outdoor events after a gunman's assassination attempt in July, Trump pointed to openings between the panels.

"I have this piece of glass here," he said. "But all we have really over here is the fake news. And to get me, somebody would have to shoot through the fake news. And I don’t mind that so much."

Facing criticism for suggesting violence against the media, Trump's campaign later played down his comments.

"The President’s statement about protective glass placement has nothing to do with the Media being harmed, or anything else," Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement. Instead he claimed that Trump was suggesting that reporters were in "great danger themselves, and should have had a glass protective shield, also. There can be no other interpretation of what was said. He was actually looking out for their welfare, far more than his own!"

For much of this year, Trump has run a relatively disciplined campaign, emphasizing the issues his aides believe could deliver him victory. But in recent weeks, Trump has joked about golfer Arnold Palmer's genitalia, continued using gendered or sexist language in his efforts to win over women, and held a rally at New York's Madison Square Garden with speakers who made crude and racist insults – including a stand-up comedian’s "garbage" comment about Puerto Rico.

Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump, speaks at a campaign rally held in Lititz, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 3, 2024. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Trump's remarks in Pennsylvania were not planned, according to the Associated Press, citing a person familiar with them. The source noted how Trump is known to ad-lib. 

One unnamed Republican speaking to the AP blamed last-minute anxiety for Trump’s recent off-script comments, and Trump having to trust a system that he believes is rigged against him.

Still, several Trump allies applauded his speech, saying that they were glad he was shining a light on concerns about fraud in the race's final stretch.

Harris pushed back at Trump's characterizations of U.S. elections, telling reporters on Sunday that Trump's comments are "meant to distract from the fact that we have and support free and fair elections in our country." 

Those "good systems" were in place in 2020, Harris said, and "he lost."

The vice president said she trusts the upcoming vote tally and urged voters, "in particular people who have not yet voted to not fall for this tactic, which I think includes suggesting to people that if they vote, their vote won't matter."

RELATED: Election Day freebies and deals

Presidential polls today: Who's winning in Trump vs. Harris race?

Meanwhile, the Trump campaign remains locked in a close race with Harris’ campaign. 

Harris had a 1% lead over Trump (48.3% vs. 47.3%) based on an average of 22 polls, with the latest as of Nov. 3, according to the polling site 270toWin. That lead is well within the margin of error. 

When looking at the state level, Trump maintained an edge over Harris in several battlegrounds that will decide the outcome of the election. Polls on Monday showed him with a slight lead in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania, according to 270toWin.

Harris was ahead on Monday in Michigan and Wisconsin, 270toWin reported.