Concession Struggles, Covid-19 Worsens
President Trump Refuses to Concede
Nearly three weeks after the election, the President still refuses to admit defeat. This behavior is on full display in his Twitter feed, where he repeatedly claims a landslide victory and alleges conspiracy and election fraud. On Saturday, he tweeted: “The media is just as corrupt as the election itself!” and on Thursday, the Trump legal team led by Rudy Giuliani held a press conference in which numerous debunked and false allegations were used as legal ammunition. Giuliani claimed that “there was a plan from a centralized place to execute these various acts of voter fraud, specifically focused on big cities.” He also alleged that Democrats were financially involved with Venezuelan government officials helping perpetrate voter fraud. There has been little evidence to back these claims and the legal team has lost over 100 of their filed cases, many being dismissed from court for lack of evidence. Georgia has certified its vote for Biden, and an attempt by the President to overturn county results in Michigan has failed. As we near the deadline for state certification, the legal paths for Trump to overturn Biden’s win narrow.
Watch the press conference here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2-JvHahfew
-Viviane Kim
Uptick of COVID-19 Cases in the White House
In recent months, at least 45 people connected to the White House have tested positive for COVID-19, including Donald Trump Jr. Although he is asymptomatic and quarantining, many other members of executive faculty are also coming down with the virus. Officials such as the President’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani and Chief of Staff Mark Meadows have also tested positive. Following these diagnoses, the White House and the Trump Administration have been criticized for holding large, non-essential gatherings without safety precautions put in place.
Cases are currently skyrocketing in the U.S, with a record number of 187,000 new cases and 2,015 deaths reported last Thursday. That is the most recorded since May. Since the beginning of the pandemic, more than 11.8 million have been infected and 250,000 people from the United States have passed away from COVID-19.
-Amy Whitman