Has Trump conceded and what happens if he doesn’t? Jack Slater Sunday 8 Nov 2020 10:40 am
The new president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden (Credits: EPA)
It was, finally, confirmed on Saturday, November 7 that Joe Biden had won the 2020 US election, set to become the 46th President of the United States.
The 2020 US election has proven a drawn-out affair, with mail-in votes taking longer to count in several states, resulting in a tight race.
Donald Trump surpassed many early poll predictions – holding on to Florida and Texas, two divisive swing states – but Joe Biden won Pennsylvania, pushing him to over the 270 electoral votes needed to claim a victory.
Celebrities and public figures were quick to congratulate the new President-elect, including ex-President Barack Obama and British PM Boris Johnson.
But Trump, somewhat-expectedly, is contesting the result. What will happen if Trump doesn’t concede?
Has Trump conceded?
At the time of writing, Trump had still not conceded the election – and depending on which associate of his is talking, the likelihood of whether he will is uncertain.
His attorney, Rudy Giuliani, said at a press conference on Saturday, November 7, that President Trump will not concede the election.
He stated: ‘Obviously he’s not going to concede when at least 600,000 ballots are in question.’
The president’s personal attorney claimed, without substantiated evidence, that ballots were tampered with in Pennsylvania – the state which awarded Biden the presidency.
However, CBS News reported late the same day that the president would concede – if he fully exhausts his legal options to contest the election.
White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere said the president would ‘accept the results of a free and fair election.’
Trump’s tweets would suggest he is not quite ready to concede, blasting out a string of tweets throughout Saturday which included statements like: ‘I WON THE ELECTION, BY A LOT!’ and ‘… BAD THINGS HAPPENED WHICH OUR OBSERVERS WERE NOT ALLOWED TO SEE.’
What happens if Trump doesn’t concede?
If Trump doesn’t concede, he doesn’t remain president.
In fact, conceding is more a practice of good etiquette, or sportsmanship.
Trump and his supporters have vocally objected to the result, with claims of something untoward taking place (Picture: AP)
There’s no law requiring a written or verbal handover of the presidency between an incumbent and their successor.
No modern president has ever refused to concede after all results have been counted and any legal challenges resolved.
A candidate can contest the results and this will lead to a formal process with set deadlines that culminates in a certification of the official results from Congress.
In 2020, all states must resolve any disputes by December 8, which will then lead to the Electoral College casting their votes on the decision by December 14.
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No president or candidate has ever contested a final result from Congress, but in the hypothetical that Trump does refuse to accept the result, this would result in a constitutional crisis.
In terms of leaving the White House itself, the Biden campaign has already addressed that obstacle, issuing a statement to the NY Times stating that ‘the United States government is perfectly capable of escorting trespassers out of the White House.’
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Poster Comment:
I ain't over until the fat lady sings.