Yesterday, veteran journalist Brian Karem asked President Donald Trump the kind of question that’s been asked of many presidents and presidential candidates before, but the president had an answer that seems to have shocked many in the mainstream press and among the electorate. Karem asked Trump, simply, will he commit to a “peaceful transfer of power,” something that has happened across presidential administrations of every major political party in our nation’s history. Trump, unlike every other candidate and president ever, declined to make that guarantee.

MORE: Senator Comrade Ron Johnsoninski Accuses Hunter Biden of коррупция

President Trump not only refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power, he effectively demanded that states tear up mail-in ballots, and if that’s done “there won’t be a transfer of power.” You can watch Dear President Trump’s response to Brian Karem’s question, below.

"We’ll want to have — get rid of the ballots and you’ll have a very — we’ll have a very peaceful — there won’t be a transfer frankly, there’ll be a continuation." pic.twitter.com/6ZieIROi8M

— Jacob Soboroff (@jacobsoboroff) September 23, 2020

The reaction to Trump’s reply has been frenzied worry in most corners. Many called it “unprecedented.” However, that assertion may not be correct. That’s because Americans might not remember it, but President Barack Hussein Obama also once refused to commit to transferring power peacefully. In a year of a pandemic, murder hornets, and an important presidential election, perhaps it’s been lost as a footnote, but in May of 2012, Barack Obama was asked if he’d transfer power peacefully to then-candidate Mitt Romney, if he lost to the Utah Republican.

“Fuck no! Fuck all that! I’m King Obama, remember! Now hand me phone, and my pen, I’m gonna executive order up some gay marriages,” Obama told the reporters in the Oval Office that day, “and when I’m done doing that, I’m gonna order every pregnant woman in the Bible Belt have an immediate abortion! Then, I’ll order George Soros installed as our Emperor!”

The entire room was shocked. There wasn’t a single jaw that hadn’t dropped when Obama said it. The reporters in the room rushed out and started finding Republican congressmen to weigh-in on this development. But what they found when they started asking Republicans about Obama refusing to commit to transferring power peacefully surprised and shocked many of the reporters.

“He said what? He won’t commit to a peaceful transfer of power,” Sen. Lindsey Graham asked. “Well, did he also say he likes mustard on his hamburger or something really awful, because otherwise I have an appointment I need to get to.”

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Trump’s Taint) was “alarmed” at first, but quickly decided “it’s not that big a deal.”

“So what you’re telling me is that he wouldn’t promise to step aside peacefully if he lost,” Cruz inquired, “but he didn’t do this while wearing a tan suit, or saluting a soldier with a cup of coffee on his hand? Then, I’m sorry, but I just don’t care.”

Interestingly enough, the day that Obama refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power, also happened to be the day that Hell held its annual hockey tournament, the day the world’s porcine population gained the ability of flight, and the same exact day that then-Citizen Trump decided it was gross and inappropriate to talk about how much he’d like to fuck his own daughter, which he committed to never doing, ever, ever again. And he never did.

MORE: Romney’s Got Binders Full of Excuses for Being a Partisan Cocksock

Like what you read? Consider becoming a paid Facebook subscriber, or signing up for my Patreon.

Writer/comedian James Schlarmann is the founder of The Political Garbage Chute and his work has been featured on The Huffington Post. You can follow James on Facebook, Spotify, and Instagram, but not Twitter because Twitter is a cesspool.