Trump's Thursday address immediately met with stern condemnation from his critics — including those in his own party. Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland tweeted that “there is no defense for the President‘s comments tonight undermining our Democratic process.“ Former Sen. Jeff Flake, whose home state of Arizona flipped for Biden this year, tweeted: “No Republican should be okay with the President‘s statements just now. Unacceptable. Period.“

Trump had also addressed supporters in the wee hours of election night, prematurely declaring himself the winner. He threatened to take votes to the Supreme Court if they did not fall in his favor — a threat he repeated during his speech on Thursday. He also tweeted throughout Thursday morning that his shrinking margins in key states were part of a fraud. Twitter marked the posts as misleading.

The president’s approach comes in stark contrast to Biden, who has reassured supporters that he will wait until the final results are in before making any declarations, while also saying he is confident he’s on the path of victory. Speaking in Wilmington, Del., on Thursday afternoon, Biden said that “democracy sometimes is messy, it sometimes requires a little patience, as well,” but that the “process is working.”