The White House has rejected a claim by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump that he lost the popular vote in the November 8 presidenital election because of voter fraud.
In a November 28 statement, the White House said there was no evidence to support the claim of Trump -- who said he won the popular vote "if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally."
Trump, who won the required votes in the Electoral College to secure the presidency, made the claim in a tweet on November 27.
In a follow-up tweet, the Republican alleged "serious voter fraud" in Virginia, New Hampshire, and California -- states won by the Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton.
He offered no evidence to back up his allegations.
The comments come after Clinton's campaign said it would take part in a vote recount in Wisconsin initiated by Green Party candidate Jill Stein.
Stein on November 28 also filed papers requesting a recount in the state of Pennsylvania, which was won by Trump.
Meanwhile, Michigan on November 28 certified Trump as winner of the state's electoral votes. A recount request is expected there as well.
Clinton won about 2 million votes more than Trump in the popular vote. But the U.S. presidential race is decided by the Electoral College, based on a tally of wins from the state-by-state contests, rather than by the national vote.
