Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said ahead of Election Day that former President Donald Trump "will" announce he won the presidential election before the polls are closed in several battleground states.
Sanders was asked by CNN's "The Source with Kaitlan Collins" on Monday what might happen if Trump declares victory before key races are called.
"It's not ‘what if,' Kaitlan, it is not 'what if'; he will," Sanders said. "Everybody should be aware.
"That is what will happen … this is why he has got to lose because this is exactly how you undermine democracy: 'The only way I can lose is if there's fraud.' Well, that means you can't lose a legitimate election."
Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton also claimed in a recent interview Trump will declare an early victory, predicting Trump will "announce that he's won and hope that the states in the West — Arizona, Nevada, where polls will still be open — might be susceptible to what he has to say."
Trump has begun to express doubts about the legitimacy of ballots being cast ahead of Election Day, having recently accused the state of Pennsylvania of "cheating" in a social media post last week.
"Pennsylvania is cheating, and getting caught, at large scale levels rarely seen before. REPORT CHEATING TO AUTHORITIES. Law Enforcement must act, NOW!" Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.