WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump said on Thursday he would leave the White House if the Electoral College formalized President Joe Biden’s victory – even if he insisted that such a decision was a “mistake” – as his gratitude was unduly renewed. spent. he claims that “fraud” and crooked officials in the battlefield states caused election defeat.
– Of course I will. But you know that, ”Trump said on Thursday when asked if he would leave the building, allowing for a peaceful transition of power in January. But Trump – the first question asked since election day – has insisted that “a lot of things” happen so far that could change the results.
“It’s still a long way to go,” Trump said, despite losing.
The fact that a sitting U.S. president has yet to answer whether or not he resigns after losing the re-election underscores how much Trump has broken one convention after another in the past three weeks. While there is no evidence of the type of widespread fraud Trump has alluded to, he and his legal team have nevertheless worked to question the integrity of the election and sought to overthrow voters ’will with unprecedented violations of democratic norms.
Trump spoke to reporters in the White House’s ornate diplomatic reception room after a teleconference with U.S. military leaders stationed around the world. He thanked them for their service and jokingly warned them not to eat too many turkeys, then turned to the election after the call was over. He repeated the complaints and angrily reported to officials in Georgia and Pennsylvania, two key impetus states that helped Biden’s victory.
Despite the results, Trump said he may not be the last day of Thanksgiving in the White House. And he insisted that “massive frauds” had taken place, despite state officials and international observers saying there was no evidence of that, and Trump’s campaign had failed several times in court.
Trump’s administration has already given the green light to the start of the official transition. But Trump disputed Biden’s progress.
“I don’t think it’s right to try to choose a cabinet,” Trump said, despite officials on both teams already working together to speed up Biden’s team.
And because he refused to agree, Trump announced that he would travel to Georgia to support fans before the two Senate election elections, which will determine which party controls the Senate. According to Trump, the Republican Sens. Meetings of Senator David Perdue and Senator Kelly Loeffler are likely to be held on Saturday. The White House later clarified that he was thinking of December 5th.
One of the reasons Republicans stood up for Trump and his baseless fraud claims was to keep his loyal base energized before the January 5 runoff. However, in his remarks, Trump openly questioned whether the election would be fair in one step. this may dampen Republican participation.
– I think you’re dealing with a very fraudulent system. I’m really worried about that, “he said. “People are very disappointed that they robbed us.”
As for the Electoral College, Trump has made it clear that he will probably never officially let go, even if he says he will leave the White House.
– It’s a very difficult thing to admit. Because we know there was a huge scam, ”he said, noting that – time is not on our side.
“If they do,” they vote against, Trump added, “they made a mistake.”
Asked if he wants to attend Biden’s inauguration, Trump said he knows the answer but doesn’t want to share it yet.
But there were signs that Trump would reconcile his loss.
At one point, he urged reporters not to take credit for pending coronavirus vaccinations. “Don’t let me recognize the vaccinations because the vaccinations were me and I pushed people harder than ever,” he said.
As for whether he will officially declare his candidacy to resume in 2024, as he discussed with his helpers, Trump has not yet “wanted to talk about 2024”.
Each state must verify its results before the Electoral College meets on December 14, and any challenges to the results must be resolved by December 8. The state has already begun this process, including Michigan, where Trump and his allies tried to delay the process, as well as Georgia and Pennsylvania.
Verification of votes at the local and state levels is typically a ministerial task that receives little attention, but this has changed this year with Trump’s unwillingness and unprecedented attempts to destroy election results by consolidating legal challenges and certifying the battlefield. states.
Biden won by a big margin at both the Electoral College and the referendum, where he received nearly 80 million votes, a record.
