It’s ‘an act of trickery, deception, and psychological warfare’ when Trump questions the voting process: Marc Morial
Marc Morial, National Urban League President & CEO, joins The Final Round to discuss the upcoming election and President Donald Trump’s recent claims that he will question the election results. Plus a new collaboration between the Urban League and Columbia records: “Community Conversation & Concert”, a livestream designed to advocate for economic, health and social justice for Black Americans and other minority communities.
Video Transcript
JEN ROGERS: Welcome back to Yahoo Finance's "A Time for Change 2020." We are talking with National Urban League President Marc Morial. And Marc, you were just talking about wanting to have a huge turnout.
And I want to get to how you think that's going to happen and if you're optimistic, just because of all the doubts that the president has been seeding over how this election is going to actually pan out-- and even on the other side of it, in terms of a transfer of power. Do you feel like that will suppress the vote?
MARC MORIAL: Well, I hope-- I don't believe it will. I think what it does is it builds more resentment and more of a determination to vote. And I think it's an act of trickery and deception and psychological warfare to try to undermine and literally insult the intelligence of the people by questioning the integrity of the voting process. Because you don't like the potential outcome of the voting process, you undermine.
Donald Trump did this in 2016. When he was behind in the polls in early October, he raised questions about the integrity of the process. This is an old movie. This is what we call in the neighborhood a wolf ticket-- an empty threat, a hollow suggestion.
I'm going to resist a transfer of power. These are hollow, empty threats. And I hope people don't take them seriously.
But I also hope, as they do to me, as a person, as an American-- as someone who's seen members of their family who could not vote fight to secure the right to vote-- it's deeply insulting to suggest that somehow the Postal Service is not an organization of integrity. It's deeply disturbing to suggest that somehow there's something wrong with the elections process.
And I think the American people are smart enough, intelligent enough, and insightful enough not to fall for sort of these empty schoolyard threats that seem to emanate day to day. So I'm encouraging people, be vigilant. And absolutely, pay attention. But don't fall for empty threats. Don't fall for hollow suggestions.
Right now, you've got an ecosystem working to try to discredit the election. One of the main players in this effort is Vladimir Putin and the Russian Federation, who've embarked on a consistent campaign-- going all the way back to 2013, to 2014-- to suppress African-American voters, to create racial division in the country, to play games on the internet. And I think people need to be woke and aware and very offended by it and say, you know what? We're going to stand up for our democracy.
Stand up for your democracy. Don't be tricked. Don't be intimidated. Don't be fooled. Because that is what the objective is-- to trick, to intimidate, and to fool you so somehow you don't go out to vote. You don't believe your vote counts. You believe that the elections process--
Now, I bet you that there's a different message going on on Donald Trump's social media pages. And I don't think it's about don't vote. I think it's all about trying to get people to vote, trying to get his base to vote.
So I'm just saying to people, look, I've been in this game for a little while. And I've seen some of these movies of deception and psychological games being played. It's just being played now from the largest bully pulpit that exists in the world. And that's the presidency of the United States.
- Marc, before we let you go, just tell us really briefly about the effort for the Community, Conversation, and Concert event happening tomorrow. Is one of the goals to help small businesses?
MARC MORIAL: Yes. I mean, we are working to help small businesses all the time. And that it's going to be one of its focuses.
JEN ROGERS: All right, well, we'll have to bring you back, Marc. We always love having you on.
MARC MORIAL: Always ready to come back again. I want everybody to follow us at @NatUrbanLeague, @MarcMorial. Be part of this ongoing conversation. And I just encourage people to vote, vote, and vote.
KRISTIN MYERS: Well, hopefully we'll be able to talk to you before the November 3 election. Marc Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League, thanks for joining us today.
MARC MORIAL: Thanks, guys. Appreciate you.
