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Trump’s demeanor at that moment in his speech, combined with his mock quotation of the text of the putative executive order, as well as the exaggerated and ironic tone of much of his speech in Fayetteville, suggest that he was, in fact, joking when he said he might sign (or attempt to sign) an executive order barring Biden from becoming president.

If the line had been delivered by most other politicians, it’s likely there would not be much doubt that it was intended as humorous, but Trump has long been the subject of scrutiny and criticism for purportedly pronouncing serious observations and earnest desires in the form of “jokes,” in speeches and press conferences.

For example, in July 2016 Trump appeared to ask the Russian government to hack the email server of his opponent, former U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton — a remark he later brushed off as “sarcastic.” And in June 2020, the president said he had asked officials to slow down COVID-19 coronavirus testing, in order to artificially lower the apparent rate of infection in the United States. Administration officials later claimed Trump was joking, but the president himself insisted, “I don’t kid.”

In order to help clarify the substance and intent of Trump’s remarks in Fayetteville in September 2020, and to assuage the concerns of the public that he might seek to defy constitutional norms by signing an executive order barring his opponent from succeeding him in office, Snopes put a straightforward question to both the White House and the Trump campaign — “Was the president joking, or not?” Remarkably, neither has responded to that question. If either does, we will update this fact check accordingly.