Trump doubles down on claims that race is 'a rigged election'

A beleaguered Donald Trump sought to undermine the legitimacy of the U.S. presidential election on Saturday, pressing unsubstantiated claims the contest is rigged against him, vowing anew to jail Hillary Clinton if he's elected and throwing in a baseless insinuation his rival was on drugs in the last debate.

Not even the country's more than two centuries of peaceful transitions of political leadership were sacrosanct as Trump accused the media and the Clinton campaign of conspiring against him to undermine a free and fair election.

• It's been a strange presidential election even by Florida's standards: Chris Hall

"The election is being rigged by corrupt media pushing completely false allegations and outright lies in an effort to elect her president," he said.

'The election is being rigged by corrupt media': Trump

8 years ago

Duration 0:51

Republican presidential nominee doubles down on claims at a rally in Portsmouth, N.H.

Clinton's campaign continues to hit back at Trump's allegations of a fixed election.

Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook says participation in theelectoral system and particularly voting is something to beencouraged, and not, in his words, "dismissed or undermined becausea candidate is afraid he's going to lose."

Mook points to what he says will be a record turnout on election day. And he says voters will turn out in unprecedented numbersbecause they can see through Trump's "shameful attempts toundermine an election weeks before it happens."

Leaders on both sides of the political spectrum worry that this rhetoric, which supporters sometimes repeat in interviews, undermines the electoral processin a country with a history of peaceful democratic transition.

At a campaign event in New Hampshire, Trump alsoaccusedClinton of being on some kind of drug during the last debate.

Trump was mocking Clinton for taking time off from the campaign trail to preparefor the next debatewhen he made the extraordinary suggestion that she might have been on some kind of performance-enhancing drug during their last face-off.

He says, "I think she's actually getting pumped up" while she's off the trail.

He's calling for both candidates to take a drug test prior to the final debate Wednesday.

Trump is denying stories in which eightwomen have accused him of sexual misconduct. At an event on Friday he mocked his accusers, employing a now-familiar tacticof criticizing a woman's appearance as a means to deflect suggestions of wrongdoing.

• Former contestant on The Apprentice accuses Trump of sexual assault
• Revealing tweets shared in aftermath of Donald Trump's comments about women

Referring to allegations by Jessica Leeds, whoappeared on camera on the New YorkTimes'websitelast weekto recount how Trump grabbed her breasts and tried to put his hand up her skirt on a flight from the Midwest to New York in or around 1980, Trump said, '"Yeah, I'm going to go after you. Believe me she would not be my first choice, I'll tell you. That would not be my first choice."

Hepantomimedthe descriptions of his alleged assaults, mimicking pawing at a woman's chest and reaching under a skirt.

He also denied allegations of unwanted contact by Summer Zervos, a former contestant on Trump's show "The Apprentice," who said he kissed her during a meeting about a possible job. Trump said Zervos' first cousin called her a "huge fan of Donald Trump," referring to a letter the campaign released to media.

At an event Friday Clintonexpressed dismay at the tone of the election race.

"This election is incredibly painful," she said."I take absolutely no satisfaction in what is happening on the other side. I am not at all happy about that because it hurts our country, hurts our democracy and sends terrible messages to people here at home and around the world."

It's an election, Clinton said, that "makes you want to unplug theinternetor just look at cat gifs."

• Wikileaks releases full transcripts of Clinton speeches to Goldman Sachs

The comments of a Wisconsin sheriff would certainly suggest the tone of the election has veered into divisive new territory.

'Pitchforks and torches'

TheTrump supporter saidthetime had come to respond to government and media corruption not with words but with "pitchforks and torches."

Sheriff David Clarke Jr. of Wisconsin's Milwaukee County madethe assertion in aposton Twitter Saturday. He illustratedhis point with a photo showing angry people with clubs and torches.

"It's incredible that our institutions of gov, WH, Congress, DOJ, and big media are corrupt & all we do is bitch. Pitchforks and torches time," tweeted Clarke.

Clarke is an elected Democrat but spoke at the Republican National Convention last summer. He has denounced the Black Lives Matter movement though he, too, is black.

• Trump accuser was 'rattled' after alleged sex assault, former teacher says
• Q&A: Psychologist onHow to talk with your kids about Trump

In its final weeks, the 2016 campaign is awash in charges and countercharges of assault and groping, sexist slurs and graphic language.

Eight women have accusedTrump of sexual misconduct and assault. The New York billionaire, meanwhile, has argued that Clinton "viciously" attackedthe women who said her husband, former president Bill Clinton, committed rape and sexual impropriety.

Trump supporters commonly wear T-shirts with slogans such as "Hillary sucks but not like Monica" and "Trump that Bitch." At several Clinton rallies this past week, hecklers interrupted her speeches with shouts of "Bill Clinton is a rapist."

"It distracts from it enormously. Who ever dreamt this would be the way this campaign would turn out," said Cynthia Friedman, who co-founded a Democratic National Committee effort to support women in politics with some help from Clinton in 1993. "Watching Hillary at the debate, I actually got almost physically sick to see somebody abused and spoken toso rudely to their face."

Undo decades of progress

Advocates worry that Trump's impact goes beyond Clinton, and potentially could undo decades of progress on issues such as sexism and sexual assault, by normalizing violence against women.

Women's advocates say they expected conflict, but not such extreme language.

"Would there have been sexist mudslinging? Absolutely. But not like this," said Nita Chaudhary, a founder of the women's advocacy group UltraViolet. "We've made progress on rape culture and on sexism in the last two years. It feels like the Trump candidacy is undoing all of that."

Some Republicans are equally dismayed, seeing Trump as a force that will alienate women from their party for years to come, as polls indicate the political gender gap has reached historic levels.

Clinton'scampaign, meanwhile, has focused ongiving voters a reason to back her, by keeping the messageon her policies and credentials.

'High wire act for some time'

"It's been a high wire act for some time," said Ann Lewis, a longtime Clinton adviser. "You have to deal with what's happening, but this can't take over the presidential campaign."

While Clinton may be able to ignore Trump's taunts, voters have not. The negative tone of the campaign has exacerbated deep national divides, prompting anxiety across political lines about how Clinton and congressional Republicans can unite the country should she win the White House.

"I don't know how long it's going to take us to recover from this," said MaryDeutmeyer, 70, a retired teacher from Iowa who cast her ballot early for Clinton on Wednesday. "It's almost like walking in the gutter."

• The 180 |The only thing worse than Trump winning would be Trump losing
• Vermont copes with 'Donald Trump effect'