Donald Trump would not say whether he would accept the results of the election in November during Wednesday’s presidential debate, prompting rival Hillary Clinton to point out that he has a habit of saying things are “rigged” against him—including the Emmy awards.
Trump has ramped up accusations in the past week that the presidential election will be rigged, presenting without evidence a claim that undermines the legitimacy of the democratic process. He maintained his stance during the debate, saying that the election is rigged because Clinton is allowed to run.
Clinton called his comments “horrifying.”
“There was even a time when he didn’t get an Emmy for his TV program three years in a row, and he started tweeting that the Emmys were rigged against him,” she said, before Trump interrupted her to say, “Should’ve gotten it.”
A look through Trump’s twitter feed between 2012 and 2014 reveals the Republican nominee complaining several times over the years about the Emmys being “all politics” because The Apprentice, the reality TV show he hosted, didn’t win.
The Emmys are all politics, that's why, despite nominations, The Apprentice never won–even though it should have many times over.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2012
The Television Academy was quick to respond Wednesday night, and tweeted that the Emmys are not rigged with a graphic showing the selection process for the awards.
Rest assured, the #Emmys are not rigged. Https://t.co/vKK5xjqBuypic.twitter.com/B7dBpGY1uQ
— Television Academy (@TelevisionAcad) October 20, 2016
Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, who has swept the Lead Actress category in the Emmys five times for her portrayal of Selina Meyer in Veep, chimed in as well.
The Emmys are NOT rigged. @VeepHBO@HillaryClinton@realDonaldTrump#debatenight
— Julia Louis-Dreyfus (@OfficialJLD) October 20, 2016
When pressed by moderator Chris Wallace during Wednesday’s third and final presidential debate if he would accept the results of the Nov. 8 election, Trump replied, “I will keep you in suspense.”