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AFP
CLEVELAND
HILLARY CLINTON excoriated rival Donald Trump as a threat to American democracy Friday for not pledging to honour results of the upcoming presidential election, as the bitter rivals battled for supremacy in battleground states.
The 2016 election cycle pitting the Republican nominee against the former secretary of state has turned increasingly toxic, with Trump fueling wild conspiracy theories about vote"rigging" and Clinton warning that the provocative billionaire was straying into authoritarianism.
"We know the difference between leadership and dictatorship, and the peaceful transition of power is one of the things that sets us apart," Clinton told a rally in Cleveland, Ohio, one of the key swing states up for grabs on November 8.
"Donald Trump refused to say that he'd respect the results of this election. By doing that, he's threatening our democracy."
Her comments marked a stern rebuke to Trump's bombshell suggestion during their third and final presidential debate that he may not recognize the election result -- a surprising rejection of political norms.
Trump, 70, then told a rally crowd that he could launch a legal challenge if Clinton prevails.
His remarks follow weeks of Trump warning about the likelihood of a"rigged" election including massive voter fraud, despite members of his own party disavowing the comments and Trump earning condemnation from President Barack Obama.
Despite isolated allegations of voter fraud, controversy over the tight 2000 vote and rampant gerrymandering, US elections have been regarded as free and fair.
Invigorated by both her commanding poll numbers and Trump's eyebrow-raising declarations, the candidate vying to become America's first female president was in Ohio aiming to block Trump's efforts to claim the blue-collar heartland state.
Trump, well aware that no Republican has ever won the White House without winning Ohio, campaigned in the Buckeye State on Thursday. He is due to head back to the state on Saturday, with running mate Mike Pence.
On Friday, the Manhattan real estate mogul hosted rallies in the battlegrounds of North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
"Eighteen days. You're going to look back at this election and say this is by far the most important vote you've ever cast for anyone at any time," Trump told a crowd in Fletcher, North Carolina.
