"Back and Forth" Trump Says "I Will Leave the Baegakwan" Then Claims Election Fraud (Summary)

Answering Reporters' Questions for the First Time After the Presidential Election
"If Biden Wins the Electoral Vote, I Will Leave the White House"
Emphasizing Fraud Claims While Refusing to Concede Election Results

U.S. President Donald Trump is answering reporters' questions at the White House on the 26th. [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned that he would leave the White House if President-elect Joe Biden wins the Electoral College vote scheduled for the 14th of next month (local time).

As battleground states that had attempted to overturn the election results are confirming Biden's victory one after another, it is being evaluated that Trump has effectively conceded the presidential election results. However, he also confused those around him by claiming that this Thanksgiving would not be his last Thanksgiving in the White House and that the election results are fraudulent.

According to U.S. media including The Washington Post (WP) on the 26th, when reporters asked President Trump, "If the Electoral College chooses President-elect Biden, will you leave the White House?" he replied, "Of course I will." This was the first time Trump answered reporters' questions since the election on the 3rd.

The U.S. presidential election is an indirect election system where electors chosen by each state based on vote counts select the next president. Although formal, the winner of the Electoral College vote is ultimately confirmed as the next president. President Trump has been attempting to overturn the Electoral College vote through election lawsuits but has been pushed into a difficult situation. One major foreign media outlet evaluated his remarks that day as the closest acknowledgment of defeat.

However, President Trump drew a line regarding conceding the election results at the same event. He claimed, "Conceding is a very difficult thing." He reiterated his claim that the election was fraudulent and repeated his previous assertion that "If the Electoral College certifies Biden as the winner, they are making a mistake."

AP News pointed out that President Trump is still spreading baseless claims of election fraud, and WP interpreted his remarks as indicating he would not concede the election results. When asked about his plans for his last Thanksgiving at the White House, Trump said, "I don't know if it will be the first or the last." When asked whether he would attend President-elect Biden's inauguration, he said, "I have decided but will not say."

The actions of President Trump and President-elect Biden during the Thanksgiving holiday contrasted sharply. President Trump enjoyed golf before holding a video conference with overseas deployed troops, while President-elect Biden held a video call with healthcare workers fighting the COVID-19 pandemic at his Delaware home. Biden repeatedly emphasized minimizing family gatherings during Thanksgiving to prevent COVID-19 in a CNN op-ed, but President Trump urged all Americans to gather at home or places of worship to offer prayers of thanks.