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He has been waging a months-long campaign against vote-by-mail in November by tweeting and speaking critically about the practice, which has been encouraged by more states to keep voters safe amid the coronavirus pandemic.
In an interview in July, the president also refused to commit to accepting the results. “I have to see. Look … I have to see,” he said on Fox News Sunday. “No, I’m not just going to say yes. I’m not going to say no, and not the last time.”
Now, you are asking yourself a question that was once considered unthinkable: what if the president of the United States does not accept electoral defeat? Is there a contingency plan in place in case the president and his supporters refuse to go quiet?
What happens if Donald Trump refuses to accept the defeat of the American elections and walks away in silence?
What time will we meet the winner of the US elections?
Election night did not deliver the ultimate winner that the public wanted to meet. The unprecedented number of mail-in ballots in this election, fueled by Covid-19, is causing significant delays. While some states begin counting postal ballots before Election Day, some wait until the polls close.
So, for example, initial results in states that prioritized in-person vote counting may show Trump ahead, only for Biden to show up later when mail-in vote counts come in.
Without a clear winner overnight, the count could take days or even weeks, although most officials in the decisive states have said they hope to have declared a result by the weekend after the election at the latest.
Regardless of the end result, Trump will remain in the Oval Office after the election if he loses. He will officially become a “lame duck” president, 73 days into his term before handing over the keys to the White House.
On January 20, 2021, the new president will deliver his inaugural address. This has traditionally been held on the steps of the US Capitol building, but it is unclear what form of national leadership would ensue if the pandemic still poses a risk to public health.
How does the electoral college work?
Each state is represented by a number of votes in the Electoral College that roughly correlates with the size of the population; for example, Florida has 29 votes and California 55. There are 538 in total, so it takes 270 to win.
In all but two states, the candidate who wins the public vote will win all Electoral College votes for that state. These votes are cast by voters (there is one voter for every college vote) on December 14.
The structure of the Electoral College, combined with the political and demographic makeup of undecided states, means that some states carry a disproportionately greater weight in an election and sometimes override the popular vote.
Read more: Explanation of the 2020 American Electoral College
