Trump says he will ‘top’ 306 electoral college votes – adds he will NOT prematurely declare victory

Donald Trump said Tuesday that he will only declare that he has won ‘when there’s a victory’ as he predicts he will win reelection with more Electoral College votes than in 2016.

‘So my number last time was 306,’ Trump said when the ‘Fox & Friends’ panel asked him how many Electoral College votes he thinks he will earn.

‘I ended up with 306, that was good numbers – 223-306,’ he said in reference to the outcome against Hillary Clinton in 2016 – but the Democratic candidate actually earned 232 not 223.

‘And that was a big number,’ the president said. ‘And I think we will top it. I’ll leave it at that. I think we’ll top it.’

According to Cook Political Report, Trump likely holds around 163 Electoral College votes as of now out of those states that are solid, likely and lean Republican. If he were to win all of the Electoral College votes of the states that are deemed a ‘toss up,’ his total would move up to 248.

This means he would need to earn 58 votes from solid, likely or lean Democrats states to even reach the threshold he won at in 2016. 

When Trump was asked during the call-in interview when he will declare he has won the election, the president said ‘only when there’s victory.’ 

Trump likely holds around 163 Electoral College votes, according to Cook Political Report, when considering states that are solid, likely and lean Republican. If he were to win all of the votes of the states that are deemed a ‘toss up,’ his total would move up to 248

Trump also said he would not say he won reelection ‘until there is victory’ amidst reports he would prematurely declare victory 

‘I mean, there’s no reason to play games. And I think we’ll have victory,’ he said during his interview where he could be heard but not seen. 

‘I look at it as being a very solid chance of winning,’ he continued. ‘I don’t know what the chances are – I don’t know how they rate the chances but I think we have a very solid chance of winning.’

Reports emerged over the weekend with sources claiming the president has extensively discussed his plans for election night, which they say includes declaring victory early.

The Axios report on Sunday said Trump privately discussed in delta plans to walk up to the podium on Tuesday and declare he has won before official Electoral College results are revealed.

Trump denied the claims, stating Sunday: ‘No, no that was a false report,’ after he landed in North Carolina for his third rally of the day.

The president touted Tuesday his hectic campaign schedule in the days leading up to Election Day, which included 14 rallies in three days. And said the massive crowd sizes, which regularly include thousands of loyalists, are proof that he will win reelection. 

Trump, who held 14 rallies in the last three days leading up to Election Day, also said his large crowd turnouts, reaching into the several thousands, are indicative that he will clinch another four years

‘There was no small event – every place, no matter where we went,’ Trump said of his rallies in the days leading up to the election.

‘I really did six yesterday,’ he claimed. ‘Because the one from the day before went until two in the morning. So then I got up and did one at 8:00 a.m.’

President Donald Trump, 74, started Election Day off by joining the ‘Fox & Friends’ panel in one of his famous call-in interviews. While the interviews sometimes pan an hour, this time around, he only joined the team for half-an-hour.

He also sounded much more low-energy than usual – possibly indicative of exhaustion following an aggressive and ambitious campaign schedule.