Trump threatens opponents with prison sentences and escalates his rhetoric before a crucial debate

MOSINEE, Wis., Sept. 8 (AP): Just days before his first – and likely only – debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Donald Trump posted a warning on his social media page threatening to jail anyone “engaged in unconscionable conduct” in this election, saying the election would be subject to intense scrutiny.

“IF I WIN, the people who CHEATED will be punished to the fullest extent of the law, including lengthy prison sentences, so that this corruption of justice is not repeated,” Trump wrote, sowing fresh doubts about the integrity of the election, even though fraud is incredibly rare. “Please note,” he continued, “that these legal consequences also extend to lawyers, political operatives, donors, illegal voters, and corrupt election officials.”

Those who behave unscrupulously will be tracked down, caught and prosecuted on a scale that, unfortunately, has never been seen before in our country.” Trump's message represents his latest threat to use the office of the president to exact retribution should he win a second term. There is no evidence of the kind of fraud he continues to claim marred the 2020 election; in fact, dozens of courts, Republican state officials and his own administration have declared he lost fairly.

Just a few days ago, Trump himself admitted in a podcast interview that he did indeed “lose by a whisker.” While Trump's campaign aides and allies urged him to keep his focus on Harris and make the election a referendum on issues such as inflation and border security, Trump has strayed far from the course in recent days.

On Friday, he gave a stunning statement to the cameras, citing a series of past allegations of sexual misconduct and describing some of them in great detail, even as he denied the allegations made by his accusers. He had earlier appeared voluntarily in court to attend a hearing to appeal a verdict that found him guilty of sexual assault, turning the spotlight on his legal troubles in the closing stages of the campaign.

Earlier Saturday, Trump campaigned in one of the most Republican districts in the battleground state of Wisconsin, raising familiar complaints about everything from his indictments to Russia's interference in the 2016 election. “The Justice Department under Harris and Biden is trying to put me in jail – they want to see me in jail – for the crime of exposing their corruption,” Trump claimed at an outdoor rally at Central Wisconsin Airport, where he spoke from behind a wall of bulletproof glass due to new security protocols following his assassination attempt in July.