Biden must make peace within tribes
Donald Trump's desecration of American democracy in his Thursday evening press conference from the White House briefing room was typical of the way he governed for four years.
Even Republicans found it hard to watch their standard-bearer claim that the election was being “stolen” because of undisclosed “shenanigans.”
Even as he faced defeat, Trump was following his game plan — “lobbing grenades into our deepest social divides,” in the words of American journalist Ezra Klein.
The 45th president is apparently prepared to unleash tornadoes of chaos, rather than admit the election is lost.
Trump didn't create the polarization in the United States but exploited it for his own advantage, deepening existing disharmony by governing as the leader of a faction rather than of a nation.
Some men want to watch the world burn. Trump's response to the increasing likelihood of a Biden win has been nihilistic. But there was method in his madness as he sought election.
His outrageousness attracts media coverage. During the Republican primaries in 2015, Trump garnered more than 50 per cent of cable news mentions, leaving the other 16 candidates to fight over the rest of the airtime.
This weaponization of division has taken political tribalism to new extremes.
Data from the Voter Study Group suggests one in five Americans think violence could be justified if the other side wins the election. Four in 10 voters think their opponents are not only misguided but evil; 20 per cent think they are animals.
Nearly US$14 billion has been spent during the election campaign excoriating one side or other. Congress is likely to remain split between a Democratic House of Representatives and a Republican Senate. Many Trump supporters are likely to view Election 2020 as rigged, in no small measure because their candidate said it was.
Seventy million Americans voted for the Republican candidate. Many had good reason. Wages among the poorest quarter of voters rose 4.7 per cent a year during the Trump years, small business confidence was at a 30-year high and, pre-pandemic, unemployment was at a 50-year low.
THIS WEAPONIZATION OF DIVISION HAS TAKEN POLITICAL TRIBALISM TO NEW EXTREMES.
“From the beginning we have said that all legal ballots must be counted and all illegal ballots should not be counted, yet we have met resistance to this basic principle by Democrats at every turn,” he said in a statement released by his campaign.
Trump earlier levelled an extraordinary attack on the democratic process, appearing at the White House on Thursday evening to claim the election was being “stolen” from him. Election officials across the nation have said they are unaware of any significant irregularities.
Some of Trump's fellow Republicans in Congress said he should tone down his rhetoric.
Donald Trump Jr. called for “total war” and appeared at a rally in Georgia. He said: “I think the number one thing that Donald Trump can do in this election is fight each and every one of these battles to the death.
“The Democrats are used to this from a Republican party that hasn't had a backbone. You're not going to see that this time around. That party is gone and anyone that doesn't fight should go with it. We look like a banana republic right now.
“The best thing for America's future is for Donald Trump to go to total war over this election to expose all of the fraud, cheating, dead or no longer in state voters, that has been going on for far too long.”
The Republican National Committee is looking to collect at least $60 million from donors to fund Trump's legal challenges, two sources familiar with the matter said.
In both Pennsylvania and Georgia, Biden overtook Trump as officials processed thousands of mail-in ballots that were cast in urban Democratic strongholds including Philadelphia and Atlanta.
The number of Americans voting early and by mail this year surged due to the coronavirus.
A sense of grim resignation settled in at the White House on Friday, where the president was monitoring TV and talking to advisers on the phone. One adviser said it was clear the race was tilting against Trump, but that Trump was not ready to admit defeat.
The campaign's general counsel, Matt Morgan, asserted in a statement on Friday that the elections in Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania all suffered from improprieties and that Trump would eventually prevail in Arizona.
THE RNC HOPES TO COLLECT $60 MILLION FROM DONORS TO FUND LEGAL FIGHT.
He also said the campaign expected to pursue a recount in Georgia, as it has said it will do in Wisconsin, where Biden won by more than 20,000 votes. A margin that wide has never been overturned by a recount, according to Edison Research.
Georgia officials said on Friday they expect a recount, which can be requested by a candidate if the final margin is less than 0.5 per cent. Biden led by 0.1 per cent as of Friday afternoon.
In response to the idea that Trump might not concede, Biden spokesman Andrew Bates said, “The United States government is perfectly capable of escorting trespassers out of the White House.”
If he wins Biden might face a difficult task governing in a divided Washington.
Republicans could keep control of the U.S. Senate, which would enable them to block much of his agenda, including expanding health care and fighting climate change.