Twenty days before Americans would choose their next president, Donald Trump was asked one of the most basic questions of the campaign.
Would he accept the result of the election if Hillary Clinton won?
Trump would not say yes.
Instead, standing on the stage of the third and final presidential debate in Las Vegas, Trump told moderator Chris Wallace:
“I will tell you at the time. I’ll keep you in suspense. OK?”
Hillary Clinton immediately responded:
“That’s horrifying.”
The exchange lasted only a few minutes.
But it became one of the defining moments of the final presidential debate.
A Direct Question
The debate was held at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, with Fox News anchor Chris Wallace serving as moderator.
Near the end of the evening, Wallace turned to Trump's repeated assertions that the presidential election was being “rigged.”
Wallace noted that Trump's running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, had said the Republican ticket would accept the election result.
Trump's daughter Ivanka had expressed the same position.
Wallace then asked Trump directly whether he would make the same commitment.
Trump answered:
“I will look at it at the time.”
He then launched into complaints about the news media, voter registration rolls and Clinton's email controversy.
Wallace returned to the question.
The Peaceful Transfer of Power
Wallace explained why he was pressing Trump.
One of the longstanding features of American presidential elections is that, after a bitter campaign, the losing candidate accepts the result and power transfers peacefully.
Wallace emphasized that he wasn't assuming which candidate would win.
He was asking whether Trump would commit to that principle.
Trump still wouldn't do it.
“What I'm saying is that I will tell you at the time,” Trump answered.
Then came the line that dominated coverage:
“I'll keep you in suspense. OK?”
Clinton: “That’s Horrifying”
Clinton immediately attacked Trump's answer.
“That's horrifying,” she said.
She argued that Trump had a history of describing institutions or competitions as “rigged” when their outcomes went against him.
She pointed to his complaints about the Republican primaries, the FBI investigation into her emails, litigation involving Trump University and even the Emmy Awards.
Trump interrupted when she mentioned the Emmys.
“Should have gotten it,” he said.
The audience laughed.
But Clinton's larger argument was serious.
She said accepting election outcomes was fundamental to American democracy and accused Trump of undermining confidence in the process.
Trump rejected that criticism and continued arguing that the election system and media coverage were unfair.
It Was a Change From the First Debate
Trump's answer was especially notable because he had given a different response only three weeks earlier.
During the first presidential debate on September 26, moderator Lester Holt asked Trump:
“Will you accept the outcome of the election?”
Trump answered:
“The answer is, if she wins, I will absolutely support her.”
By October 19, that unequivocal commitment was gone.
During the intervening weeks, Trump had increasingly warned supporters that the election could be stolen.
“The Election Is Being Rigged”
Trump had been telling supporters that the political system was working against him.
He criticized news organizations for what he considered unfair coverage.
He raised concerns about voter fraud.
He argued that Clinton should never have been permitted to run because of her handling of government emails.
Those complaints became part of a broader message.
Trump repeatedly told supporters that the election itself was “rigged.”
There was no evidence of widespread voter fraud on a scale capable of secretly determining the presidential election.
Election administration in the United States is also highly decentralized, with thousands of state and local jurisdictions involved in running elections rather than a single national authority controlling the vote.
Trump nevertheless continued warning supporters about the integrity of the process.
His Own Running Mate Had Given a Different Answer
The controversy was complicated by the fact that other prominent Republicans had been willing to make the commitment Trump would not.
Mike Pence had publicly said the ticket would accept the election outcome.
Other Republican officials emphasized the importance of respecting legitimate election results.
Trump's debate answer therefore wasn't simply a standard Republican position.
It was Trump's position.
And he had expressed it while standing beside the Democratic nominee during the final presidential debate watched by tens of millions of Americans.
The Next Day, Trump Keeps It Going
Trump had an opportunity to settle the controversy the following day.
Instead, he played with it.
At a rally in Ohio on October 20, Trump announced that he wanted to make a major statement about the election.
Then he said:
“I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election — if I win.”
The crowd reacted.
Trump subsequently added that he would accept a “clear election result” while reserving the right to challenge or contest a questionable result through legal means.
The distinction about legal challenges was important.
Candidates are entitled to request recounts or pursue legitimate election disputes through established legal procedures.
That was not what had made Trump's debate answer so controversial.
Wallace had asked whether Trump accepted the broader democratic principle that the loser recognizes the legitimate winner.
Trump had declined to make that commitment.
Twenty Days Before the Election
The timing made the exchange particularly consequential.
Election Day was November 8.
Millions of Americans were already voting.
Trump and Clinton had completed their three presidential debates.
There would be no fourth debate where Trump could provide a different answer.
For months, Trump's candidacy had broken political conventions.
But this involved something more fundamental than campaign etiquette.
It concerned what would happen after Americans voted.
“I’ll Keep You in Suspense”
Chris Wallace had given Trump several opportunities to answer.
The question wasn't whether Trump believed Clinton should become president.
It wasn't whether he believed the media had treated him fairly.
And it wasn't whether candidates had the right to challenge genuinely disputed election results through the courts.
The question was whether Trump would commit himself to accepting the legitimate result of the presidential election.
Trump declined.
Instead, with twenty days remaining before Election Day, he told the country:
“I'll keep you in suspense.”