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Trump still refuses to acknowledge his defeat in the presidential election. But things have not gone well for him in court. His attitude violates various traditions. The question is: who is telling you?
By Eckart Aretz, tagesschau.de
It’s hard for him to lose, Donald Trump recently admitted; It is not great news, but a statement by the President of the United States that is surprising for its frankness and that, otherwise, rejects any kind of weakness.
Now the case has happened and Trump has lost the presidential election. He is still reluctant to admit defeat by any means. But the question of how long it can last is getting stronger.
The legal battle continues
For now, Trump is betting on contesting the result in numerous states. So far, his team has not provided any solid evidence of the widespread electoral fraud that he claims. And even if it succeeded in removing some of the mail-in ballots from the count in individual states, its deficit in the disputed “undecided states” would be so great that it would not be enough for a victory. Even in the case of narratives, as Trump points out in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Wisconsin, there have only been minor deviations in the past. That week, local judges denied attempts to stop the counting of votes in Michigan and Georgia.
However, Trump wants to go to the Supreme Court in his own words. On Saturday night, after the big television networks and even his “local announcer” Fox News proclaimed Joe Biden the winner, he reaffirmed his refusal to acknowledge his defeat. “The simple fact is that this election is far from over,” he said, accusing the television stations of a conspiracy in favor of Biden.
How do the Republicans behave?
Trump will need the support of his own party the longer the dispute continues. It is not yet clear how Republicans will behave, if they will support Trump’s legal campaign or if they will ask him to submit.
Until now, the Republican Party has been remarkably silent, so much so that Trump’s sons Eric and Donald Jr. publicly called on the party to support their father. Mitch McConnell, the Republican Majority Leader in the Senate, has so far been very reluctant to comment on the dispute over the election result and thus far has not reacted at all to the victory announcement.
Individual Republican senators and governors, on the other hand, publicly opposed the fraud allegations, as did Trump opponents like Mitt Romney or Jeb Bush. However, his influence in the party, like that of all Trump opponents, had steadily waned and was ultimately no longer worth mentioning. What is most notable, however, is that even a close supporter like former Gov. Chris Christie, who had trained under Trump for television duels, publicly asked the president to provide facts or drop his allegations of voter fraud.
The fight for the public
Trump is becoming increasingly defensive. In the fight for public awareness, he is also pained by the fact that his behavior is increasingly perceived as unsportsmanlike: not accepting defeat and continually complaining is poorly received in the United States. That was the case with presidential candidate Al Gore, when Fox News voted Republican candidate George W. Bush the winner during the 2000 count and Gore was increasingly pressured by the public to admit defeat. In the end, Gore ruled in court.
Trump also violates the tradition that the defeated candidate congratulates the winner in a phone call, the “concession call,” and acknowledges his victory. Such a call is an integral part of presidential elections and election night and is almost a sacred rite in a secular democracy like the United States.
Does Kushner have to tell him?
Will Trump ever make such an admission? His sons and his lawyer Rudy Giuliani seem determined to keep fighting. Other longtime advisers like Larry Kudlow or Roger Stone also doubt that Trump will back down on his own initiative.
The AP news agency claims to have discovered that there are more and more voices in the White House calling for an orderly transfer of power in accordance with the country’s democratic tradition. They were concerned about the landmark verdict on Trump if he sticks to their position. Son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner should have spoken out in favor of Trump acknowledging the election result, even if he couldn’t accept defeat.
Whoever takes on this task at the end, shouldn’t have a pleasant conversation ahead.
