Damage control? Trump hints at leaving the country if he loses the election

President Donald Trump is already hinting at how he would react to being defeated by Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.

On Friday, Trump traveled to Macon, Ga., where he held a crowded campaign rally filled with maskless supporters and no social distancing. At one point during the rally, Trump mulled over the possibility of losing the election and how he might handle an upsetting defeat.

"Could you imagine if I lose?" Trump said during the rally. "My whole life, what am I going to do? I'm going to say, 'I lost to the worst candidate in the history of politics.' I'm not going to feel so good. Maybe I'll have to leave the country. I don't know."

It is no secret that Trump could be faced with a trove of legal repercussions if he loses the presidential privilege against prosecution. So, his remarks also raise speculation about his reason for wanting to leave the country if he loses the election. As Election Day approaches, Trump is deploying more tactics in hopes of changing the trajectory being depicted in the national polls.

Bryan Lanza, a lobbyist who served on Trump's presidential campaign and transition team in 2016, and still maintains communication with the 2020 campaign, weighed in on Trump's campaigning tactics.

"He campaigns best when he is counterpunching," Lanza said. "He's the running back who runs toward the tackles as opposed to the running back who runs away. We used to say he's like Rocky Balboa — he waits for his opponent to punch and then he comes back to deliver the knockout blow."

One Republican pollster Frank Luntz has also expressed concern about Trump's latest tactic seemingly begging for voters. Although the president has done so in a joking tone, Luntz believes the approach is not beneficial.

"He's taking the wrong approach," "He should be talking about earning their support rather than asking them to give him their support. He should be turning that electoral weakness into a strength."

With just 17 days until the 2020 election, more than 22 million Americans have already cast their ballot by voting early.