“I think he’s setting up for, in his own perverse twisted way, having some way of explaining when he goes on all the talk shows after he’s been trounced, of saying ‘I didn’t lose,’ because he can’t fathom this because he’s a ‘winner,’ ” Rep. Scott Rigell (R-Va.) told The Hill in a Monday interview.

But Rigell warned that stoking doubts about the results could lead Trump’s loyal supporters to view Clinton’s presidency as illegitimate, breaking from the peaceful transitions of power that have been the norm.

Polling suggests Trump’s rhetoric is already influencing voters. A Politico-Morning Consult survey released Monday found that 41 percent of voters think the election could be “stolen” from Trump due to widespread voter fraud.

“There are hundreds of thousands, and perhaps more than that, that will buy what he’s selling,” Rigell said. “It’s cancerous to a republic.”