Donald Trump is having an extended tantrum that’s actively harming public health, national security, and confidence in democracy. His aides and advisers are along for the ride. They know he lost the election and that all the lawsuits and efforts to deny reality are destined to fail, but they’re okay with him dragging things out, even though that potentially weakens vaccine distribution efforts, among other things.
The Electoral College formally votes on December 14, so Trump’s ability to delay the transfer of power will radically diminish on that day—even the now-notorious General Service Administration head Emily Murphy will have to admit that President-elect Joe Biden is the president-elect at that point—but that’s a significant delay when every day that passes comes at a cost. And a needless cost.
“The legal challenges are continuing, but those close to the president, and frankly the president, understand they're futile,” a senior administration official told NBC News. Can someone tell Trump he understands it’s futile?
Trump’s advisers are reportedly trying to bring him around to reality by talking about “conclusion” rather than “concession”—“conclusion” as in, okay, you will leave the White House but you’ll keep screaming publicly that you were robbed and will launch a 2024 campaign for president immediately. In other words, the more responsible position they are trying to talk him into adopting is being an incredibly sore loser.
This is all evidence, by the way, of why one of the tasks of the coming years is to ensure that the people who work for Trump are never allowed to occupy positions of importance in the government again. They’ve constantly enabled him, encouraging his worst impulses and damaging the nation right alongside him. They’ve lied to the public on his behalf all along. And now they’re helping him come up with creative ways to reject a peaceful transfer of power even if it damages coronavirus response. Everyone who works for Trump owns the results of his time in office.