Obama says Trump’s baseless claims of voter fraud — and GOP leaders ‘going along with’ them — are a step in delegitimizing democracy and put US on ‘dangerous path’

• Former President Barack Obama criticized President Donald Trump’s baseless claims of mass voter fraud and the GOP leaders that are “going along with” his claims, during an interview with CBS News on Wednesday.
• “It is one more step in delegitimizing not just the incoming Biden administration, but democracy generally,” Obama said. “And that’s a dangerous path.”
• Since President-elect Joe Biden was projected to win the election, many Republican lawmakers have yet to acknowledge it. Meanwhile, Trump has continued to push unproven claims of widespread voter fraud.
• Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Former President Barack Obama criticized President Donald Trump’s baseless claims of mass voter fraud and the GOP leaders that are “going along with” them, during an interview with CBS News on Wednesday.

When asked about the impact of the president’s unsubstantiated claims of election fraud, Obama said, “They appear to be motivated, in part, because the president doesn’t like to lose and never admits loss.”

But he expressed more concern over leaders in the Republican party who are enabling the president.

“I’m more troubled by the fact that other Republican officials who clearly know better are going along with this, are humoring him in this fashion,” Obama told interviewer Scott Pelley.

“It is one more step in delegitimizing not just the incoming Biden administration, but democracy generally,” he said. “And that’s a dangerous path.”

Since President-elect Joe Biden was projected to win the election, many Republican lawmakers have yet to acknowledge it. Meanwhile, Trump has continued to push unproven claims of widespread voter fraud.

The US chief election administration official, who was appointed by the president, said in an interview with Insider that there is “no evidence of widespread voter fraud” and that the president’s claim “hurts the fabric of our nation.”

Trump has refused to concede the election, preventing the incoming Biden-Harris administration from receiving the customary aspects of a presidential transition.

The Obama interview clip is part of a full interview that is set to air on “60 Minutes” on Sunday. The interview is part of Obama’s promotion of his new book, “A Promised Land.”