Photo: Samira Bouaou / The Epoch Times
Photo: Samira Bouaou / The Epoch Times
It is becoming increasingly clear that Joe Biden is primed to take the presidency, as the latest confirmed US Election results continue to favour the blue candidate. Friday is all but guaranteed to be the day that the Democratic challenger gets to the all-important mark of 270 Electoral College votes. But, we must then ask; will Donald Trump concede?
US Election results – latest news on Friday 6 November
Conceding the vote is when one candidate in the presidential race accepts the numbers are against them, and calls time on the campaign by admitting there’s no plausible way to win – even if all the votes haven’t been counted yet. This is usually the point where a losing runner acknowledges their opponent and praises them for their achievement.
But if you’re having a hard time picturing Donald Trump doing that – you aren’t on your own. Several experts in the US have learned that the Republican incumbent has no plans to concede, regardless of what the results say.
CBS News has learned that President Trump does not plan to concede even if Joe Biden declares victory in the coming days, @weijia reports https://t.co/igISEfbXCS pic.twitter.com/0KJPrdCeN6
— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 6, 2020
Will Donald Trump concede?
Trump, who has raised anxieties about refusing to step aside in the past, seems likely to dig his heels in. He has failed to commit to a peaceful transition of power, and with two months between the final US Election Results and the Presidential Inauguration, a failure to concede – in the face of overwhelming data that favours the opposition – poses a real problem.
Multiple times this week, Trump has insisted that the vote will be ‘settled in the Supreme Court’. His confidence in fighting the law successfully seems like folly at this point – indeed, a president trying to stop the counting of outstanding ballots is itself extremely unconstitutional. So if he’s unsuccessful in court, will Donald Trump concede further down the line?
What happens if Donald Trump doesn’t concede?
It’s possible, but you rule nothing out with this bloke. Should he go with the full ‘nuclear’ option and stay in the White House regardless, one of two things could happen. Responsibility to decide the vote could rest with Vice President Mike Pence, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. Between them, all elected politicians would then vote for president.
The numbers are likely to favour the Democrats, given that they have the most votes and highest number of delegates available. Alternatively, Pence could decide to discount the Electoral College votes in hotly disputed states. However, with Biden possibly on course to push the 300-mark, it would be difficult for Pence to discount votes from multiple states.
Will Donald Trump have to be ‘removed from office’?
We can hear you asking, and the answer is yes. Donald Trump could conceivably be marched out of the White House if he’s still occupying the Oval Office – against the will of the people – by the time an inauguration has taken place in January.
The Secret Service would be tasked with the job of evicting an ousted president, rather than the military. This is literally an unprecedented circumstance, but if we’re going to see it happen with anyone, Trump would always be the best bet.
Republicans may start planning for 2024
At the end of the day, there was a Republican Party before Donald Trump, and there will be one after him. That could influence the way his senior advisors and close colleagues in government decide to act next. There is a lot of self-preservation that takes place in the Trump administration – and if Donald is disposed of, 2024 becomes their next priority.
It’s not too far-fetched to suggest that Donald Trump may leave office on his own volition – and possibly concede the US Election – if he fancies another tilt at leadership. Indeed, there are a few whispers going around that Trump is considering running for president again in 2024, should he lose out this time around.
All these scenarios would’ve been barely plausible a few years ago. But in the age of Trump, we expect the unexpected.
