Outgoing President Donald Trump insists that he still has a path to secure another four years in office, despite losing the 2020 election to President-elect Joe Biden, who won with 306 electoral votes.
The President and his legal team have pursued a litany of frivolous lawsuits aimed at overturning the results or limiting the further counting of votes—all but one of which have failed in court.
In addition to this litigation and the pressure applied to Republican state legislatures in swing states, the President has unleashed a weeks-long stream of lie-ridden tweets that widespread voter fraud, of which there is no evidence, tipped the election to Biden.
In an early morning Twitter rant, Trump predicted that the Biden administration would be a "scandal plagued mess," and urged the Supreme Court to take up a lawsuit recently filed by Texas against four swing states aiming to undo the states' votes.
Now that the Biden Administration will be a scandal plagued mess for years to come, it is much easier for the Supreme Court of the United States to follow the Constitution and do what everybody knows has to be done. They must show great Courage & Wisdom. Save the USA!!!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 11, 2020
Trump decrying the future Biden administration as a "scandal plagued mess" displayed a wild lack of self-awareness on Trump's part.
Trump's four years in office have been an onslaught of scandals of every size and salacity.
There was the time his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, revealed the Trump campaign had paid off adult film performer Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about an affair between her and Trump. There was Trump's attempt to hold the G7 conference at his own resort in 2019. The revelation of Trump's financial records showed the President in millions of dollars in debt. The Trump administration has functionally orphaned hundreds of children whom it separated from their parents thanks to Trump's immigration policies.
Let's also not forget the pressure Trump applied to the leader of Ukraine to investigate Biden in exchange for releasing congressionally-approved aid to the country—a move which led to his impeachment and the unethical firings of any staff who complied with congressional subpoenas.
These are only a few of the scandals that have plagued the Trump administration over the course of his tenure in the White House, even without mentioning the countless scandals brought out by the pandemic that's killed nearly 300 thousand Americans.
The hypocrisy was mindboggling.
Come for the preposterous legal reasoning, stay for the curious notion that the Trump administration has been scandal-free. https://t.co/qvcY46GoXS
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) December 11, 2020
One of only 3 presidents to be impeached by Congress worries that the incoming administration will be plagued by scandal. Rich. https://t.co/kwKrxSimDn
— Jim Roberts (@nycjim) December 11, 2020
As Americans, we can never live down the collective shame and self-loathing that must accompany our knowledge that we gave this fatuous, submoronic grifter just enough votes to govern our nation for even four years. https://t.co/e1Ls7NM6Ho
— David Simon (@AoDespair) December 11, 2020
Imagine being the first president to desperately cling to power by ordering the Supreme Court to overturn democracy. Now that's a fitting legacy, even Kim Jong would be proud of you @realDonaldTrump . Fortunately it's just that, your imagination. https://t.co/M0WvXvt4LI
— phil (@phil_knowsbest) December 11, 2020
No Presidency can match you for SCANDALS which led to you being IMPEACHED!!!!#WETHEPEOPLE https://t.co/3K2paBXdOW
— Edward Polka (@polka_edward) December 11, 2020
Some took Trump's acknowledgement of a "Biden administration" as his long-awaited concession.
Funny way to say "I concede the election and congratulate Joe Biden on his victory," but good enough. #TrumpConceded https://t.co/EyBFIIo0qf
— Fred Wellman (@FPWellman) December 11, 2020
So we finally all agree that there will be a Biden Administration. Great. https://t.co/GO9KB4MJpj
— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) December 11, 2020
Whuut? Looks like Trump is conceding the election pending “his" Supreme Court reversing time's arrow and redoing the past. So now he's rejecting even the fourth law of thermodynamics! https://t.co/3IaD0FPBh5
— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) December 11, 2020
Well, I guess Republicans are free to acknowledge Biden won now. #gapol https://t.co/WvRa3NHK0Y
— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) December 11, 2020
Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be inaugurated on January 20th.