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President Obama Says Donald Trump’s Claim That the Election Will Be Rigged Is ‘Ridiculous’

By
Maya Rhodan
Maya Rhodan
,
Daniel White
Daniel White
, and
TIME
TIME
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Maya Rhodan
Maya Rhodan
,
Daniel White
Daniel White
, and
TIME
TIME
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 5, 2016, 9:54 AM ET
President Obama Holds News Conference At the Pentagon
U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, Aug. 4, 2016. Obama said Islamic State continues to lose territory in the Middle East, and that the terrorist groups strongholds must be retaken in order to reduce the appeal of its propaganda. Photograph by Pete Marovich — Bloomberg via Getty Images

This article originally appeared on time.com.

President Obama rebuffed Donald Trump’s suggestion that the general election in November would somehow be rigged, joking that he’d never heard of anyone complaining about cheating before the game was even over.

“Of course the election will not be rigged. What does that mean?” Obama said Thursday. Speaking from the Pentagon, Obama said the Republican nominee’s suggestion that there is a conspiracy to keep him from winning the election is “ridiculous.”

“This will be an election like any other election,” Obama said.

 

Earlier this week, Trump suggested that the upcoming general election would be rigged.

Obama did say, however, that the federal government would be watching out for practices that prevent people from voting because of accessibility or polling place issues.

“I think all of us in some points in our lives…sometimes folks if they lose they start complaining about being cheated. …Never heard of someone complaining about being cheated before the game is finished,” the president said.

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