Trump Cries Fraud: A Refusal to Concede
Photograh by Yasamin Jafari Tehrani | The Corsair
In the days following the election, President Donald Trump took to twitter to dispute the results as they were announced. Trump’s made claims that the “Lamestream Media” is not the one to call the election, and with a statement to his followers that, “Tens of thousands of votes were illegally received after 8 P.M. on Tuesday, Election Day,” it became apparent that the sitting president had no plans to concede.
In normal times, the transition from one occupant to the other goes smoothly with the inauguration ritual. Out with the old regime and in with the new one. This is how events have played out for over 200 years in American history.
The current conduct of Trump having lost the recent election looks as if he does not want to play by the rules, nor does he appear ready to cooperate with established law. America seems to be in uncharted political waters as Trump refuses to concede the results of the election to President-elect Joe Biden.
Throughout U.S. history, it has become tradition for the losing candidate to call the president-elect to congratulate them before publicly conceding to the country. This speech to the nation is typically given before the president-elect gives their victory address. It’s a moment for both candidates to put political parties aside and address the nation united.
When Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton gave her concession speech in 2016, she acknowledged that she called President-elect Donald Trump to congratulate him. She offered to work with him on behalf of the country, saying, “I hope he will be a successful president for all Americans.”
In 2008, Republican presidential candidate John McCain gave his concession speech where he addressed the nation. After informing the crowd he had just spoken with President-elect Obama to congratulate him, McCain was met by boos of those in attendance. The Senator promptly cut their vocal reaction short by lifting his hands up in a stop motion and said “please” before returning to his speech.
“In a contest as long and difficult as this campaign has been, [Obama’s] success alone commands my respect for his ability and perseverance but that he managed to do so by inspiring so many millions of Americans who had once wrongly believed that they had little at stake or little influence in the election of an American president, is something I deeply admire and commend him for achieving,” said McCain.
George H.W. Bush, the last sitting president to lose their re-election, was met with chants of “Thank you George” when he gave his concession speech in 1992. “Here’s the way I see and here’s the way the country should see it, that the people have spoken and we respect the majesty of the democratic system,” said H.W. Bush.
After telling the crowd he had called President-elect Bill Clinton and congratulated him, H.W. Bush went on to say, “I want the country to know that our entire administration will work closely with his team to ensure the smooth transition of power. There is important work to be done and America must always come first so we will get behind this new President and wish him well.”
Even though President-elect Biden gave his victory speech on Sat., Nov. 7, Trump seemingly has no plans to publicly concede. In the hours before major media networks declared Biden the president-elect, Trump took to Twitter to announce his own victory. “I WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT!” said Trump in a tweet that has been flagged by Twitter.
A screenshot of President Donald Trump’s Tweets from Nov 7 | The Corsair
Other tweets from Trump have received similar notation for information that has been disputed. While some simply have a blue exclamation point icon at the bottom of the tweet informing viewers as to why the tweet has been flagged, some of the president's tweets are no longer viewable on his Twitter page.
A thread of the president's tweets from Nov. 7 now have a banner that reads, “Some or all of the content shared in this Tweet is disputed and might be misleading about an election or other civic process,” with a link next to it to learn more. If viewers wish to see the tweet that has been flagged, they must click “view.” These tweets are also unable to receive comments, likes, or retweets — with Twitter's reasoning being that they are trying to, “prevent a Tweet like this that otherwise breaks the Twitter Rules from reaching more people,” noting that those on the platform can still quote tweet it.
In addition to using Twitter, Trump’s team has been sending out emails to those who have signed up to support his campaign asking for donations to help fund their lawsuits under the title “Official Election Defense Fund,” with fine print stating that 60% of the donation is going to election debt.
In the absence of Trump's concession, former President George W. Bush, the only other living Republican president, put out a statement congratulating both President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. “Though we have political differences, I know Joe Biden to be a good man, who has won his opportunity to lead and unify our country,” said W. Bush. “The American people can have confidence that this election was fundamentally fair, its integrity will be upheld, and its outcome is clear.”
Trump’s occupancy as president expires on Jan. 20, 2021, the day his term in office ends. He is required by the Constitution to vacate the premises at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, D.C.
The new occupant, Biden, will replace him in the White House. He has been elected president by not only over 270 electoral votes, but with the popular vote of a record 76 million Americans, as of Nov. 10.
