Donald Trump didn’t just lose the election, he lost it definitively. In 2016, when AP called the race for Trump, Hillary Clinton was on the phone to him in seconds, because the margin of electoral victory was clearly beyond anything that might be addressed with a potential recount or a discrepancy in a single state. In 2020, Joe Biden’s margin of victory is many times that of Trump, even as he runs up a five million (and counting) edge in the popular vote. This is not a close election.
But not only has Trump not conceded, his party is going along with him in the pretense that there is still some question about the outcome. While a handful of the most vulnerable Republicans have acknowledged Biden’s victory, the great majority aren’t just staying silent; they are actively participating in a fraud that at the very least is damaging to the integrity and security of the nation, and at the worst is prelude to a coup. The actions that Trump is taking in replacing both military and national security leadership drive up concerns that there’s a lot more here than just a prolonged pout from a sore loser.
If the nation is divided on Wednesday morning, it’s because Republicans want it divided. As The Washington Post reports, even Trump’s closest advisors realize there’s no evidence to support the plethora of lawsuits Trump has launched on the pretense of voter fraud. That seems pretty obvious considering that Team Trump is now zero for twelve in their attempts to defend this suits in court.
But, as The Washington Post also reports, Republicans at every level continue to echo Trump’s baseless claims, even though they are fully aware there are baseless. That includes Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claiming “there will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration,” and Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt saying Trump, “may not have been defeated at all.” Blunt, by the way, is co-chair of the body in charge of inaugural ceremonies.
“They all know he lost, and they are lying about it to protect his little feelings. It’s insane,” said Republican strategist Tim Miller.
There’s no doubt that Trump’s ego needs a tummy rub, because it always does. But over a week after the election handed the post of president-elect to Joe Biden, we’re at the point where Trump weakening the nation through narcissistic obstinance is the good outcome. What’s making the situation worse is the increasing evidence that Trump not only intends to never make that phone call to Biden, but is making moves that keep bringing up the word “coup.”