NYT "Denying Peaceful Power Transition After Election Loss"
Possibility of Taking It to the Supreme Court... Considering Announcement of Ginsburg Successor "Saturday Is a Very Important Day"
[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] U.S. President Donald Trump hinted at the possibility of rejecting the election results for the second consecutive day, plunging the U.S. political scene into turmoil. Although Congress unanimously adopted a bipartisan resolution supporting the peaceful transfer of power and White House officials denied the possibility of rejecting the election, it was to no avail. The chaos is expected to intensify after the election.
On the 24th (local time), before traveling to North Carolina and Florida for rallies, President Trump met with reporters at the White House and, when asked if he believed the election was only legitimate if he won, said, "We have to be very careful with (mail-in) ballots. This is a complete fraud." He went on to emphasize his strong distrust of mail-in voting, saying, "I cannot be sure this election is fair."
Earlier, in an interview with Fox Radio, President Trump made similar remarks. When the host asked, "Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said that if the Supreme Court rules in favor of Democratic candidate Joe Biden, then Biden wins. Do you agree?" Trump replied, "I agree," but added, "But I think there is a long way to go before that. These ballots are a scary show."
President Trump also hinted at the possibility of rejecting the election during a press briefing the previous day, emphasizing the need for the nomination and confirmation of a new Supreme Court justice.
Republican leadership and the White House tried to protect President Trump, putting aside other issues, but it was ineffective. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who was pressuring for the early confirmation of Justice Ginsburg's successor, posted on Twitter, "The winner of the election will be inaugurated on January 20th (as per tradition). Since 1792, orderly transfers have occurred every four years."
The New York Times (NYT) evaluated, "Just hours after the Republican leadership tried to calm things down, the president solidified his stance."
The Democratic Party launched a full-scale offensive. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi harshly criticized, saying in the morning, "This is not North Korea or Turkey. This is America and democracy. Can you not respect the constitutional oath of office even for a moment?" Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also condemned President Trump as "the greatest threat to democracy."
President Trump's repeated remarks are widely seen as intentional. It is calculated to challenge the mail-in voting results and take the matter to the Supreme Court. Following his claim the previous day that the election results would go to the Supreme Court and that the successor to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg must be swiftly nominated and confirmed, he said on this day as well, "The announcement of the successor on the 26th will be a very important day in our country's history."
Ordinary citizens also openly expressed their aversion to President Trump. When President Trump appeared at the memorial event for Justice Ginsburg held at the Supreme Court, citizens repeatedly shouted "vote him out." The shouts were loud enough to be heard through TV broadcasts, but President Trump brushed it off, saying, "Someone said there were slogans, but I hardly heard them."
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