Here's When You Can Expect Trump's Election Fight To End
Almost a month after polls closed on Election Day 2020, President Donald Trump finally accepted that the peaceful transition of power to President-elect Joe Biden must begin. Previously, the administration had been withholding security briefings and access to office space at the White House from the incoming president until the legal battles Trump was waging were over. On Nov. 23, 2020, however, the president finally gave in — but he did not concede the election just yet. Thus, Trump's seemingly endless election fight might carry on for some time. Still, there are clear indications that Trump will eventually give up the Oval Office to Biden and his vice president, Kamala Harris.
Trump tweeted, "In the best interest of our Country, I am recommending that Emily and her team do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols, and have told my team to do the same," referring to General Services Administration official Emily Murphy, whose office is charged with facilitating the transition of power. It's not a concession, but it is something resembling progress — even if it contradicts what Trump's team has been saying on the ground.
President-elect Joe Biden's transition team is moving full steam ahead
It might not matter what the Trump administration or Donald Trump's allies allege in public about voter fraud, though. President-elect Joe Biden's team is ready to get down to business. Yohannes Abraham, executive director of Biden's transition, said in a statement, via CNN, "This final decision is a definitive administrative action to formally begin the transition process with federal agencies. In the days ahead, transition officials will begin meeting with federal officials to discuss the pandemic response, have a full accounting of our national security interests, and gain complete understanding of the Trump administration's efforts to hollow out government agencies."
Still, per AOL, Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller claimed without evidence, "We're going to continue to explore all of the fraud and abuse that's been reported to us from the more than 11,000 credible tips we've received from our hotline and website." The Trump team's claims that there was voter fraud or abuse have yet to be proven. In fact, his lawyers have yet to provide any evidence whatsoever. Despite all the bluster, Trump's allies recognize that the peaceful transition must begin sooner rather than later to avoid critical delays once Biden officially takes office. But how long can this back and forth go on?
Will Donald Trump give up his legal fight once the Electoral College has its say?
The thing is, Donald Trump's election fight has to end at some point, right? According to AOL, many people close to the president have suggested that he accept that Joe Biden will become president on Jan. 20, 2021 and just continue his legal battles behind the scenes — or announce his 2024 candidacy. Still, most states will certify their election results by the first week of December and the Electoral College will officially vote on Dec. 14, 2020. So, at some point, there will be tangible benchmarks to show that sometimes moving on is better than fighting against the inevitable.
Biden is slated to win the Electoral College with 306 votes, per NBC News, despite Trump's continued false claims about the election. Although the Trump team's claims have not been proven and have been repeatedly thrown out by the courts since Election Day, his actions toward the incoming administration have swayed his supporters, according to a survey conducted by CNBC/Change Research poll.
Donald Trump's supporters don't believe Joe Biden is the legitimate winner
Although President Donald Trump and his allies are officially beginning the transition to a Biden-Harris administration, his unsubstantiated claims about voter fraud have officially changed the minds of many people who voted for him. According to a new poll of 1,200 Trump voters by CNBC/Change Research, basically every Trump voter in the poll felt that Trump was, in fact, the real winner. For context, per NBC News, Trump received 73 million votes, while President-elect Joe Biden received 79 million votes.
Only 3% of people polled believe that Biden is the actual president-elect. Another 73% of those polled believe that Trump is the legitimate winner, and 24% aren't sure. Of those that believe Biden is not the true winner of the election, 31% want Trump to keep fighting in court and 66% think that the president should not concede. An alarming 81% of the Trump voters polled say that they don't plan on giving Biden a chance as president, even if all the results point to him winning. Just 19% said they would be open to his presidency.
What Trump says and does will matter in the coming weeks. Hopefully, everyone just does what's best for the country, whether their favorite candidate is in the White House or not.