Donald Trump for the first time on Saturday said he would have been OK if he lost the 2020 election fairly as he spoke to thousands of supporters at an election integrity event in Phoenix.
'I've got to tell you, I've got to say it. I've never said it before, but I've always thought it – If I lost the election, I'm OK with that. I'm OK with it. Seriously,' the former president said.
'If we lost the election, we lose an election,' he continued.
'I'll go home. I'll start building buildings. I'll do something. I'll keep myself busy. But you know what, if we lost the election – we know when we lose.'
The former president, however, said he knows that he didn't lose and therefore wants an investigation that proves so.
'This election was rigged,' he claimed. 'And they know it.'
Trump added: 'You know when you win and when you lose'
'If I lost this election, I could handle it pretty easily,' he said. 'When they steal if from you and rig it, that's not easy and we have to fight. We have no choice. We have to fight.'
He questioned why Democrats – and some Republican defectors – don't want an audit just to prove that they won fair and square.
Former President Donald Trump said during an election-focused rally in Phoenix, Arizona on Saturday that he would have been OK if he lost the 2020 election fairly
'I've got to tell you, I've got to say it. I've never said it before, but I've always thought it – If I lost the election, I'm OK with that,' Trump said. 'If we lost the election, we lose an election. I'll go home. I'll start building buildings. I'll do something. I'll keep myself busy'
Trump also went through a list of his greatest hits from the last year lamenting the validity and integrity of the 20202 election.
'We won, we really did,' Trump insisted. 'Not me, we all won.'
'Everyone here understands the 2020 election was a total disgrace. It was the most corrupt–' he said, but was cut off by cheers and chants from the audience of around 5,000.
'You're not going to have a future in 22 or 24 if you don't find out how they cheated with hundreds of thousands, and even millions of votes because you won't win anything,' Trump said, referencing the next two big election years.
The 'Protect Our Elections' event was hosted by Turning Point Action, which is a group aimed at de-seating Democratic politicians across the country.
Maricopa County has been at ground zero in the last three months for Trump's recount efforts.
Trump spoke on Saturday to thousands of his supporters at Arizona Federal Theater, where nearly all seats were occupied, minus a small roped-off section behind the media risers.
The former president said the event on Saturday is to 'show our support for election integrity and the brave and irreverent warriors in the Arizona State Senate.'
The Arizona State Senate, which has a Republican majority, ordered the audit earlier this year.
The two opening acts for Trump were Congressmen Paul Gosar and Andy Biggs, who respectively represent Arizona's 4th and 5th districts in the U.S. House.
Biggs told the crowd that the first marshal informed him the theater was at maximum capacity. He made fun of President Joe Biden's CNN town hall in Cincinnati, Ohio last week where about 300 people were in attendance.
Donald Trumptook stage at a Turning Point Action 'Protect our Elections' rally in Phoenix, Arizona on Saturday
While Gosar spoke, he introduced Ashli Babbitt's mom, who was attending the rally.
Babbitt, 35, was killed on January 6, 2021 by a Capitol Police Officer who shot her as she attempted to break through the House chamber doors with a group of rioters who stormed the complex in an attempt to stop Congress for certifying the election results for Biden.
'Who killed Ashli Babbitt?' Gosar questioned, pleading, 'I want you to hold your applause for one second,' before introducing his guest.
The late Air Force veteran's mother was holding a poster with an image of Babbitt in front of the Capitol and donning a shirt that read 'Justice for Ashli'. She was joined by another woman, who remained unidentified, but was holding up a poster with Babbitt's face on it.
It did not appear any rally attendees were wearing face coverings, but several were wearing comically large red foam 'Make America Great Again' hats.
The lack of masks comes as COVID-19 cases are surging across the country with the emergence of the Delta variant, and some cities are reimposing mask mandates indoors on even vaccinated individuals.
Phoenix has a population of 1.63 million people and it's current rolling 7-day average of new cases sits at 1,113. Los Angeles, one of the biggest areas spiking with COVID-19 right now, has a rolling average of 2,104 new cases per day.
Kari Lake, who was the crowd favorite gubernatorial candidate of the night, said if elected, she will issue pardons for businesses who decided to stay open amid shut downs and for those who are prosecuted for violating federal mask mandates.
The governorship in Arizona is wide open for the taking in 2022 as Republican Governor Doug Ducey comes to the end of his second and final term. Arizona law states governors are limited to eight years serving – or two consecutive four-year terms.
Trump has repeatedly lashed out at Ducey, who has broken with the former president's on his fraud claims. Ducey, Trump says, is to blame for Arizona not already overturning the election results.
In an April statement, Trump said: 'Governor
