Trump: I would rather have presidential election based on the popular vote

President Trump on Thursday argued that he’d rather see the presidential election be determined based on the popular vote than the current Electoral College system, claiming it would be “much easier to win.”

“They also like to always talk about [the] Electoral College. Well, it’s an election based on the Electoral College. I would rather have a popular election, but it’s a totally different campaign,” Trump said during an interview with “Fox & Friends.”

“It’s as though you’re running — if you’re a runner you’re practicing for the 100-yard dash as opposed to the one mile,” he continued. “The Electoral College is different. I would rather have the popular vote, because it’s — to me, it’s much easier to win.”

{mosads}Trump defeated Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election, securing 304 electoral votes to Clinton’s 207.

However, Clinton defeated Trump in the popular vote by nearly 3 million votes.

Trump has claimed without any evidence that his defeat in the popular vote was due to widespread voter fraud.

The president has frequently touted his election victory in the 15 months he’s been in office, often explaining that it is difficult for a Republican to win the general election based on the way votes are divvied up in the Electoral College.

A month after the election, Trump took to Twitter to claim that he would have performed “even better” in the 2016 campaign if it had been based on the popular vote.

“Campaigning to win the Electoral College is much more difficult & sophisticated than the popular vote. Hillary focused on the wrong states!” he tweeted, referencing his Democratic opponent.

Campaigning to win the Electoral College is much more difficult & sophisticated than the popular vote. Hillary focused on the wrong states!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 21, 2016

I would have done even better in the election, if that is possible, if the winner was based on popular vote – but would campaign differently

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 21, 2016