November 27, 2020 6:54:40 am
President Donald Trump holds a video call with military personnel for Thanksgiving Day at the White House in Washington on November 26, 2020 (Erin Schaff / The New York Times).
President Donald Trump said he will resign from power if the Electoral College confirms Democrat Joe Biden’s victory, but noted that he may never formally acknowledge defeat and skip the Democrat’s inauguration.
Trump answered questions from reporters Thursday for the first time since his electoral defeat, speaking at the White House after a Thanksgiving teleconference with members of the military.
He reiterated for about 25 minutes a series of allegations his legal team has made thus far, but provided little or no evidence of, and therefore has not presented in court appearances, while saying flatly that Biden could not have received $ 80 million. of votes from the American People.
The defiant and occasionally conspiratorial exchange in the White House diplomatic room included a brief acknowledgment of the reality he faced. When Trump was asked if he would physically leave the building if the Electoral College claimed Biden’s victory, he replied: “I certainly will, and you know it.”
However, he quickly returned to unleash a series of attacks and criticize the elections, even calling the Republican Secretary of State of Georgia an “enemy of the people.” Trump said he would soon host a rally in Georgia, where voters will return to the polls in early January for a pair of Senate runoff elections that will determine control of the chamber.
‘Hard thing’
Trump was pressed on whether he would ever concede defeat, saying it would be “a very difficult thing to admit” even if the Electoral College confirms Biden’s victory. “If they do, they have made a mistake,” he said. “This election was a fraud.”
There is no evidence of widespread fraud in the US elections, and numerous states have certified the results. Trump’s objections are directed at both Democrats and Republican officials.
Electors from the Electoral College of each state must vote on December 14. The Senate president must receive the certificates that record the results of the electoral votes in each state no later than December 23. Biden is certified as the winner, or leader, in states with a total of 306 electoral votes, well above the victory threshold of 270.
Trump acknowledged that he was running out of time to present evidence of the massive fraud he was outlining, a sign that the evidence may never come. “The whole world is watching and the whole world is laughing at our electoral process,” he said.
80 million
Trump repeatedly went back to Biden’s raw vote total, insisting that the Democrat could not have done as well compared to previous Democratic candidates, even though population growth historically drives growth in voter turnout, and the busy 2020 election cycle resulted in high turnout at every step. .
“This is not a candidate who can get 80 million votes,” he said of Biden. “The only way to get 80 million votes is through massive fraud.”
Donald Trump and Joe Biden during the second and final presidential debate on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020, at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee (AP Photo / Patrick Semansky)
Trump declined to say whether he would attend Biden’s inauguration, as is customary for an outgoing president. “I’ll be honest, I know the answer, but I don’t want to say it yet,” he said. He also said that “it is not right” that Biden has started choosing a cabinet.
He toured a number of states while he disputed his results, including some that had already certified Biden’s victory, such as Pennsylvania.
“There’s no way Pennsylvania was going to lose,” Trump said. He claimed that Wisconsin also won, which Biden won, but where a partial recount requested and paid for by the Trump campaign is taking place.
Gettysburg indictments
Trump made a passing reference to state lawmakers, hinting that he could still urge state legislatures to reject the results entirely and appoint his own constituents to turn the state around. “We are in the courts and we are also in front of the legislatures,” he said. One of Trump’s attorneys, Jenna Ellis, said Wednesday in Pennsylvania that the state legislature should consider intervening.
In Pennsylvania, “the Republican state house, they’re starting to see what’s going on there,” Trump said. A day earlier, he called a de facto hearing in Gettysburg, repeating his baseless allegations of fraud and calling for the election to be annulled.
At one point, Trump told reporters Thursday, “don’t let Joe Biden take credit for the vaccines,” another sign that he’s coming to terms with his loss.
In another, he blamed the media and major tech companies for his loss. “If the media were honest and great technology was fair, this wouldn’t even be a contest. And I would have won by a tremendous amount, a tremendous amount, “he said, adding hastily,” and I won by a tremendous amount, but it has not yet been reported. “
Trump also declined to say whether he would seek the presidency again in 2024, as has been widely rumored. “I don’t want to talk about 2024 yet,” he replied.
President Donald Trump playing golf (Source: AP / File)
Golf day
Trump began his Thanksgiving by playing golf and returned to the White House 18 minutes before his scheduled teleconference with members of the military. The White House delayed the call until 5 p.m., by which time it was 1 a.m. for some of the participants, who were joining from Kuwait.
During the event, Trump spoke briefly with members of each of the six branches of the military, including the Space Force, commenting on his own legacy. He spoke to reporters in the room immediately after the event concluded.
Trump was having dinner with his “immediate family” at the White House on Thursday, although the administration did not say how many people would attend. Health officials urged Americans to limit the size of their gatherings in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Biden said he would have dinner with only three other people.
Trump was asked what his plans were for this final Thanksgiving Day at the White House. “Is this the last or is it the first of a second term?” answered. “We’ll see what happens.”
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