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Joe Biden, President-Elect
"The people have spoken."
And, as you know, the President too.
Tweet: "I won this election - by far!"
Instead of playing golf, Trump could have kept up
this
tradition:
John McCain
friends, I wish it had turned out differently. Hillary Clinton I'm sorry we didn't win this election. Jimmy Carter "I can't say it doesn't hurt."
With the so-called "concession speech", electoral losers in the past admitted their own defeat - and gracefully made room for their successor.
George Bush Sr.
"And we respect the dignity of the democratic system."
Breaking this tradition may have
less
to do with Trump's stubbornness than with a certain tactic.
Douglas Lawrence
Author, "Will He Go? Trump and the Looming Election Meltdown in 2020"
"I assume that Trump will never admit defeat. But I assume that he will submit to it. So I cannot imagine Trump being barricaded in the White House on January 20th and escorted out by the secret service It would be inconsistent with his brand to be seen in this type of weakness. Instead, he will proudly leave the White House claiming that the "deep state" and radical Democrats and the media have conspired against him as they have done since the day of initiation. And in that way he will continue to be a hero and martyr of his followers. "
Around 71 million Americans have re-elected Trump.
Among them are some who are considered extreme Trump supporters.
Trump supporters
"We know this is a conspiracy, a coup against President Trump." "We're not going to take this. We are protesting to stop the theft of this election - which is so obvious."
According to lawyers, Trump will hardly have any success with his lawsuits against alleged electoral fraud - so far there is simply no evidence.
But the delaying tactics and the media staging like that of his lawyer Rudy Giuliani have other possible goals.
Rudy Giuliani, lawyer for Donald Trump
"Judges don't count! Only the channels, the channels!"
Douglas Lawrence
Professor of Law
"The lawsuits mean that Trump can continue to instill suspicion. And by that I mean questioning the legitimacy of the election result. I don't think we're going to see any major social unrest because the election now seems to be over and that is good. But, you know, we have a lot of weird people in this country who are heavily armed. I wouldn't be surprised to see sporadic violent demonstrations. And that's what I'm really worried about. "
Trump himself is likely to be concerned about his future.
He is threatened with criminal charges - at the federal AND state level.
As president he enjoys immunity, but not after his term of office.
Douglas Lawrence Law
Professor
"If he were prosecuted, I think it would be better if it happened at the state level and related to things that happened prior to his presidency, rather than the federal level, related to actions during his presidency. And I'm just saying, because persecution of actions during his presidency could look like some form of almost political vindictiveness. There would again be the risk of martyrdom, but if he is held accountable for things he did prior to his election, then if he were just a normal impostor. In a nation with a solid, robust rule of law, we should be able to put even former heads of state in jail if they have committed criminal acts. "
After four years of Trump, the scenario of a charge against an ex-president has moved into the realm of possibility.
From January 20, 2021, this new chapter of the post-Trump era will open.