‘We don’t want to have a recount in any battleground states’: Trump’s 2012 tweet comes back to haunt him

President’s campaign says they are seeking a recount

Donald Trump, pictured speaking in the early hours of Wednesday morning, tweeted in 2012 about the dangers of a recount (AP)

Donald Trump has been mocked for a 2012 tweet in which he argued against asking for a recount in the presidential election, warning: “Obama will steal it.”

The president on Wednesday announced that he was seeking a recount in Wisconsin, where only 20,000 votes separated him from Joe Biden, who was declared the victor.

In November 2012, when Mr Obama was seeking a second term, challenged by Mitt Romney, Mr Trump weighed in, urging voters to come out in force and avoid the need for a recount.

“We don’t want to have a recount in any of the battleground states,” he said. “Obama will steal it. Make sure all your friends and family vote.”

The suggestion that a recount could lead to the incumbent president “stealing” an election was seen as deeply ironic.

“This tweet has aged well,” said one.

“Again, when you criticize everything, you inevitably end up criticizing yourself,” said another.

“Every. Damn. Time”

Another simply said: “There's ALWAYS a tweet.”

The Trump campaign said on Wednesday afternoon that they were seeking a recount.

“There have been reports of irregularities in several Wisconsin counties which raise serious doubts about the validity of the results,” Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien said in a statement, without providing details of any reports. 

“The president is well within the threshold to request a recount and we will immediately do so.”

Election experts say fraud is very rare in US voting.

Edison Research said the margin between Mr Trump and Mr Biden in Wisconsin was less than 1 percentage point, allowing a candidate to seek a recount.

It said Mr Biden had a slight lead in the state, with 99 per cent of the expected votes tallied so far. The former vice president had 49.4 per cent of the vote, while Mr Trump had 48.8 per cdent.

Meagan Wolfe, Wisconsin’s elections chief, said on Wednesday the state’s electoral officials were re-checking results after working through the night to count valid ballots.