Trump's team mulls early victory claim amid election tension

The presidential election in the United States began on Tuesday. Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, who held office in the White House from 2017 to 2021, are running for the position.

Four years ago, Trump did not accept defeat, questioned the election results, and spoke about fraud without providing evidence, which led to an assault by his supporters on the Capitol. Five people lost their lives in the riots.

Before this year's election, there were concerns about a repeat of the events that took place in 2020. Meanwhile, CBS reported that Trump's team has been engaging in internal discussions about the politician's potential actions. One idea involves the Republican candidate declaring victory even before the official election results are available.

"Trump may prematurely declare victory after the first batch of results is announced in the evening," a CBS source said.

CBS notes that initial results could be released in states where Republicans typically win. However, it's important to consider the "red mirage" and the "blue shift" phenomena. This occurs when the balance shifts towards the Democrats as mail-in votes are counted.

This phenomenon was particularly evident in Pennsylvania in 2020, where a significant number of Democratic supporters opted for mail-in voting.

Announcing victory based on preliminary results could enable Trump to later challenge the final election outcomes and repeat claims of "stolen" elections.

"We will not declare victory until we have 270 electoral votes," said Jason Miller when questioned by journalists about Donald Trump's plans. Media representatives sought to determine how and when Republicans will confirm that they have the necessary number of electoral votes.

"Once we surpass 270, we'll be confident," added Miller, but he avoided answering the crucial question.