Presidential Purgatory: Biden Claims Victory, but Trump does too
The results of November 3, 2020’s presidential election were called on November 7. Media outlets from CNN to Fox News proclaimed that Democratic candidate Joe Biden won the election after Pennsylvania’s results pushed the former Vice President over 270 electoral votes.
A decent-sized portion of the country though, including Trump and his legal team, reject the results as fraudulent and illegal. Reuters, a news outlet, and Ipsos, a market research company, conducted a poll and found that fifty-two percent of Republicans believe that President Trump, in fact won the referendum.
This disbelief of a Biden victory has led to protests, unconfirmed allegations, and court cases spearheaded by the Trump legal team. Months before the election Trump-friendly outlets railed against the security of mail-in-ballots. These attacks have aimed to cut down on the ability to mail-in-vote as much as possible, which some on the left regard as voter suppression.
Trump’s lawyers, such as Rudy Giuliani, have claimed that the team has gathered a large amount of evidence of “massive fraud” in the 2020 election, but courts consistently ruled against these allegations. As of November 24, the Trump team has lost twenty-eight out of twenty-nine court battles. The single victory shortened the cure deadline for rejected mail-in-ballots in Pennsylvania from nine days to six days.
The newest claim, which seems to be taking the forefront has been that of foreign interference. This allegation, announced by former Trump senior lawyer Sidney Powell, states that voting software has been susceptible to attack by nations opposed to the President.
“What we are really dealing with here is the massive influence of communist money through Venezuela, Cuba and likely China and the interference with our elections here in the United States,” Powell stated in a press conference
Upon being asked by Fox News host Tucker Carlson for evidence, Powell asked not to be contacted. Since such events the Trump legal team disavowed any association with her.
“Sidney Powell is practicing law on her own. She is not a member of the Trump Legal Team. She is also not a lawyer for the President in his personal capacity,” Giuliani and Trump campaign senior legal advisor Jenna Ellis stated online.
Despite seemingly booting one of the senior lawyers of the legal team,Trump and his allies continue to push on with their initial allegations.
In response to Trump’s unwillingness to concede election results, the Biden Campaign announced “As we said on July 19th, the American people will decide this election. And the United States government is perfectly capable of escorting trespassers out of the White House.”
Biden and his team are trying to transition into the presidency, but with delayed transition progress, until the barrier was lifted by the GSA, it has been a difficult process. Except for intelligence briefings and planning his cabinet, Biden has been laying low compared to the Trump team’s actions which have taken the entire limelight.
The claims of voter fraud persist, but there has yet to be any change in the results of the election. The recount in Georgia and Michigan’s finalized results reaffirm Biden’s victory, and experts believe that this trend will continue.
Trump has yet to officially concede and the legal battles continue, but the General Services Administration announced the beginning of the transition. The end date is unknown, but as the days pass the higher the hope this nation will end its stay in presidential purgatory.
James Miller is an eighteen year old Greater Latrobe High School Senior. James likes to read and hangout with his friends. He has a passion for politics...