Donald Trump’s campaign has filed lawsuits across the country alleging fraud. (Archive)
Washington:
US President Donald Trump, in his latest effort to discredit vote counts that show him heading for defeat in a tense US election, warned challenger Joe Biden on Friday not to “unfairly” claim the presidency.
Three days after the US elections in which there was a record turnout of 160 million voters, a winner had yet to be declared.
However, incomplete results from key states showed that Biden will almost certainly make Trump a one-term president. The Democrat was ahead in Arizona, Nevada and even Georgia, a historically Republican state where Biden was so close to victory that authorities announced a recount.
At the Pennsylvania grand prix, Biden’s lead grew inexorably as the final batches of ballots were added. By late Friday he had a nearly 20,000 vote lead over Trump, although he was still within the narrow range that would likely require a recount.
If Biden, 77, is confirmed to have won Pennsylvania, he will automatically cross the threshold to win the presidency.
Biden was set to give an address in his hometown of Wilmington, prompting speculation that he planned to declare victory. But since US television networks refrain from naming him a formal winner, he could swap his plans for something more modest.
Trump has prematurely named himself the winner several times, refusing to accept the data that shows Biden is headed for victory.
In his latest volley, he warned on Twitter that “Joe Biden should not unfairly claim the position of president. I could make that claim too.”
The Trump campaign has filed lawsuits across the country alleging fraud, but no evidence has been presented to support alleged incidents of ballot tampering or other major incidents.
However, in an apparent reduction of previous comments accusing Democrats of voter fraud and “stealing” their victory, Trump issued a somewhat softer written statement on Friday, warning “of the integrity of our entire electoral process.”
Ballots by Mail
In another tweet, Trump complained that he had “such a big head start” on election night, “only to see the clues miraculously disappear” later in the week.
Trump has now falsely said several times that ballots are being fabricated for Biden or stolen.
But the unprecedented attacks on America’s electoral integrity by a president ignore a simple fact about the different types of votes cast.
Votes cast in person on Election Day greatly favored Trump and were often counted first, giving him an early lead. However, the subsequent count turned into the flood of votes mailed by Americans who did not want to go to crowded polling stations amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The mailed versions overwhelmingly favored Biden, because he had encouraged Americans to use the method. Trump, by contrast, frequently scoffed at the dangers of Covid-19 and criticized ballots sent by mail.
As a result, his initial advantages in the vote count quickly moved into a surge of votes for Biden, erasing his advantage.
Biden’s message of unity
Biden currently has at least 253 electoral votes from states that he already won. Pennsylvania, and its 20 allotted votes, would be enough for Biden to surpass the magic number of 270 votes in the 538-member Electoral College that determines the race for the White House.
If Biden’s victory is confirmed, the former Delaware senator would be sworn in on January 20, 2021 as the 46th president of the United States.
Her running mate, California Sen. Kamala Harris, 56, would be the first black woman to become vice president and the first of South Asian descent.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress, said Biden would help unite the country after Trump’s polarized presidency.
“Joe Biden is a unifier because he is determined to bring people together,” Pelosi said.
“Far from ending”
Amid mounting concerns about the potential for unrest if Trump refuses to budge, attention turned to the reaction of his Republican Party.
Pennsylvania Republicans asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to stop counting late ballots in the state.
The latest appeal of an emergency court order asked the court to freeze the processing of thousands of mailed ballots, believed to be the majority favoring Biden, that arrived after Election Day, which Republicans say should disqualify them.
Meanwhile, several prominent Republicans rallied behind Trump.
“Far from over,” Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the House Republican minority leader, tweeted. “The Republicans will not back down from this battle.”
“I think everything should be on the table,” Sen. Lindsey Graham said when asked if the Republican-led Pennsylvania legislature should refuse to certify the results.
Other top Republicans denounced Trump’s comments, including Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, the only Republican member of the Senate to vote to convict the president at his impeachment earlier this year.
“You are wrong to say that the elections were rigged, corrupted and stolen; doing so damages the cause of freedom here and around the world, weakens the institutions that lie at the base of the Republic and recklessly ignites destructive and dangerous passions.” “Romney said.
The powerful leader of the Republican majority in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, made a nuanced statement.
“This is how this should work in our great country: Every legal vote must be counted,” McConnell said. “Illegally sent ballots must not do so.
“All parties must observe the process. And the courts are here to enforce the laws and resolve disputes.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
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