Following the American presidential election on November 3, the media declared Democratic candidate Joe Biden to be America’s president-elect. It is important to note that this claim has not been made official by the General Services Administration, but Biden’s team has already declared its victory and international leaders have publicly congratulated Biden on his upcoming presidency, according to the Washington Post. Former President George W. Bush declared that the election “was fundamentally fair, its integrity will be upheld, and its outcome is clear” in a statement from November 8, and according to CNN, several Republican government officials have publicly referred to Biden as their presidential-elect.
With the current vote count largely favoring a Democratic victory, President Donald Trump was quick to express his differing views on the legitimacy of the election. Prior to Election Day, Trump had already begun posting warnings of voter fraud among liberals on his Twitter page. He has been updating his millions of followers daily on new reports of unlawful election activity, frequently referring to the election as “rigged.”
The President has also proposed controversial and seemingly conflicting methods of approaching the professed issue of election fraud. On one hand, he Tweeted, “STOP THE COUNT!” and described mail-in ballots as “devastating in their percentage and power of destruction,” but on the other, cast a mail-in vote himself, according to NPR News.
Senator of State Mike Pompeo said in a press conference this Tuesday that “a smooth transition to a second Trump administration” can be anticipated, Vox Media reports.
Due to the reluctance of the President and his supporters to even consider a scenario in which Joe Biden legally and rightfully wins the election, Biden’s team has expressed concern for the potential transition of the presidency and fear that federal funding and information may be necessary for the process to be completed, according to CNN Politics.
However, CNN reports, Biden himself dismissed the unease, stating in a Delaware news conference, “I don’t see a need for legal action,” and that “I just think it’s an embarrassment, quite frankly. I say this tactfully: I think it will not help the President’s legacy.”
