Donald Trump said the presidential debates are "rigged" against him, one week before he takes the debate stage opposite Hillary Clinton for the first time.

Trump told radio host Michael Savage the criticism of Matt Lauer's hosting of a previous presidential forum will intimidate NBC's Lester Holt, the first debate's moderator, into asking unfair questions of Trump.

"The debate is rigged from that standpoint," Trump said when asked about the moderators of the upcoming debates. "They're making it so that Lester Holt is petrified to ask me a question that's a fair question. And I like Lester Holt; he's a good man."

He continued, "What they're doing is called gaming the ref or gaming the system."

Trump also expressed dismay about the integrity of the presidential election that looms under 50 days away, and said he is "very concerned about the voting booth."

The first debate will take place on Sept. 26 in New York and focus on the issues of security, prosperity, and the direction of America.