Trump aides claim president has resigned himself to losing, say 'legal challenges won't change' election result
Donald Trump's aides are reportedly convinced that legal challenges by the Republican will not change the 2020 election results, and the president has resigned himself to losing. They also revealed that the Republican leader has not attended an intelligence meeting in weeks. Trump was seen in public for the first time in days on Wednesday, November 11, when he and first lady Melania Trump visited Arlington National Cemetery to mark Veteran's Day and to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
The first couple was accompanied by Vice President Mike Pence, Trump's eldest daughter Ivanka. Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller who replaced Mark Esper, after the Republican fired him earlier this week through a tweet, was also present. Trump, who is yet to publicly give an address after the election results, remained quiet during the brief outing. As the president continues to resist conceding to President-elect Joe Biden, his aides are growing more certain that "legal challenges won't change the outcome of the election", the Daily Mail reported.
Citing seven anonymous campaign and White House officials, the Mail reported: "The president himself has also somewhat resigned himself to losing...he is only continuing to fight to keep up the performance for his fans."
Officials revealed that the Republican has not attended a single intelligence meeting in weeks and has not done much to tackle the surge of coronavirus cases in the country. They added that he has spent much of his time watching television and making phone calls to Sean Hannity and the governors of red states.
Trump, ever since Election Day, has consistently tweeted about claims of voter fraud without providing any evidence. He also did not release a statement after Biden clinched 270 electoral votes on Saturday, the number required to win the presidency.
A prominent Republican donor and Trump supporter said: "The president is out there as much as he's ever been on Twitter, and the White House team are moving ahead with budget and staffing priorities. The president is understandably focused on the ballot counting, but at some point soon he needs to turn his attention back to the lame duck session and putting a capstone on his first four years."
The national intelligence director’s office earlier this week issued a statement saying Biden would not receive national security information until President Trump concedes to him in the 2020 presidential election. The Presidential Transition Act of 1963 states that the General Services Administration should first ascertain the winner of the presidential election before providing intelligence briefing to the next administration. However, since Trump is contesting the results of the 2020 election, the Biden administration may face hurdles in the initiation of the transition.
Intelligence agencies have routinely provided general intelligence briefings to presidential nominees since 1952. Former vice president Biden began receiving the briefings shortly after he was declared the presidential nominee of the Democratic party. The briefings, however, do not include information about covert operation, sources and methods. It is not yet clear if the president-elect has continued to receive the briefings after the election results.