November 14, 2020 1:31:25 pm
President Donald Trump listens during a coronavirus event in the White House’s Rose Garden (AP Photo / Evan Vucci)
It wasn’t a big secret that Donald Trump would try to throw some curve balls if he didn’t win a second term as president of the United States. And that is precisely what has been happening since November 3. Due to Trump’s refusal to accept the election results, the processes that would normally have been initiated during the presidential transition period have effectively stalled.
At the forefront of this process is Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who at a State Department briefing He said “there will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration.” Pompeo’s comments were criticized by diplomats and the Democratic Party, and many observers believed Pompeo was seeking to indulge and reinforce Trump’s fantasies of a second term.
Observers’ concerns following Pompeo’s comments are not out of place. Under normal circumstances, your team would have been expected to commit to the Biden-Harris team to ensure a smooth transition. But CBS News reported that the congratulatory phone calls that President-elect Joe Biden is receiving from world leaders have been made on unsecured phone lines, due to a lack of cooperation from the U.S. State Department.Normally, the president-elect would start to receive intelligence reports together with the acting president. In this case it has not happened either.
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“Not only are they not getting access to classified information or funds already allocated, they are not getting their review teams into agencies, and they are not getting the real picture of the budget in the agencies and the real picture of the staff,” reported CNN Denis McDonough. , who was President Barack Obama’s chief of staff, said.
President-elect Joe Biden on stage with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. [AP]
News reports suggest this may cause national security failures and lead to circumstances in which the Biden-Harris administration would have to struggle to catch up in January 2021 when they enter the White House to make up for lost time.
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This transition period is important because it essentially allows the incoming team to get a feel for the government’s work both on the national and international stage. Experts believe that The coronavirus outbreak has raised the stakes this time because one of the first tasks nationwide for the Biden-Harris team would involve managing the coronavirus outbreak. The United States is among the nations that have the highest rates of infections and related deaths in the world.
According to CNN, there is concern among the Biden-Harris transition team that even current Pentagon officials, particularly those loyal to Trump, may not cooperate on matters of national defense. Last week, Defense Secretary Mark Esper was fired by Trump on Monday. According to the CNN report, Biden’s team has resorted to reaching out to former Pentagon officials who worked with former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis in an attempt to gather the information they would need.
President Donald Trump Steps After Speaking at the White House (AP Photo / Evan Vucci File)
Although Trump’s team has initiated legal proceedings to challenge the election results, they may now be realizing the futility of the exercise. On Friday, Biden won the state of Georgia, the first Democratic candidate to do so since 1992. This solidifies Biden’s victory, giving him a total of 306 votes in the electoral college over Trump’s 232 votes.
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Although Trump has still refused to budge, undercurrents indicate that many in the Trump administration and the campaign have realized that Trump is fighting a losing battle. Many Republicans had opposed Trump’s refusal to accept and acknowledge Biden’s election victory after Nov. 3. Associated Press reported this week that John McEntee, director of the Office of Presidential Personnel, has told departments of the executive branch to fire people appointed by politicians who are trying to find new jobs. When a new president takes office, employees from the previous administration start looking for new jobs.
This is not just happening within the White House. CNN reported that the Trump campaign, which has launched several legal fights, is trying to prevent staff from resigning. Most legal experts have said that the battles Trump has brought to court have no legal value. Some White House aides have indicated to CNN that they privately acknowledge Trump’s defeat. News reports have suggested that even those in Trump’s inner circle and his family, such as Melania Trump and Jared Kushner, have urged him to come to terms with his loss. But Trump stands firm, at least for now, until he exhausts all his legal options.
At a briefing on Friday, Trump refused to impose lockdowns to curb the growing number of coronavirus infections in the country and, for the first time, also addressed the possibility of eventually leaving the White House. “Whatever happens in the future, who knows what administration it will be. I guess time will tell, ”Trump said, without naming Biden. Reports suggested that Trump looked visibly dejected during this speech, perhaps due to mounting pressure from Republicans to give in to Joe Biden.
The knowledge that he will have to leave the White House due to his devastating loss can be a hard pill to swallow for a man who made his mark on reality television, making “You’re fired” a catchphrase; now a judgment ironically handed to him by American citizens, which he finds himself unable to accept.
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