Outgoing President Donald Trump continues to deny the reality that President-elect Joe Biden defeated him in the 2020 election with 306 electoral votes in addition to dwarfing Trump's popular vote total by over six million votes.
From lie-ridden tweets to frivolous lawsuits to pressure on Republican-led state legislatures to appoint pro-Trump electors, the President and his allies are firing on all cylinders to overturn the results of the people's votes.
As Trump's efforts toward a second term grow more and more futile, even some conservative lawmakers and media outlets are urging the President to concede for the sake of preserving the democratic process he's spent weeks decrying.
Congressman Paul Mitchell (R-MI) urged the President to "#StopTheStupid," a play on the Trump campaign's calls to "Stop the Steal." Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) also called on the President to acknowledge defeat.
And on Monday, editors of the famously conservative magazine National Review skewered Trump's behavior in the weeks since the election was called for Biden.
Trump's Disgraceful Endgame | https://t.co/Ms27AXTErP pic.twitter.com/uIYux9RNUc
— National Review (@NRO) November 30, 2020
In an op-ed titled Trump's Disgraceful Endgame, the editorial staff decried Trump's and his legal team's "flawed and dishonest assertion" that widespread voter fraud tipped the election to Biden.
The magazine fact-checked these repeatedly debunked claims:
"Almost nothing that the Trump team has alleged has withstood the slightest scrutiny. In particular, it's hard to find much that is remotely true in the president's Twitter feed these days. It is full of already-debunked claims and crackpot conspiracy theories about Dominion voting systems."
The piece especially took issue with Trump's attempts to pressure Republican-led legislatures to override the results and install pro-Trump electors:
"Trump's most reprehensible tactic has been to attempt, somewhat shamefacedly, to get local Republican officials to block the certification of votes and state legislatures to appoint Trump electors in clear violation of the public will. This has gone nowhere, thanks to the honesty and sense of duty of most of the Republicans involved, but it's a profoundly undemocratic move that we hope no losing presidential candidate ever even thinks of again."
It concluded:
"Getting defeated in a national election is a blow to the ego of even the most thick-skinned politicians and inevitably engenders personal feelings of bitterness and anger. What America has long expected is that losing candidates swallow those feelings and at least pretend to be gracious. If Trump's not capable of it, he should at least stop waging war on the outcome."
Twitter users noted that Trump losing the support of National Review presented a foreboding outcome for his quixotic efforts to undo the election.
Yeah but you can't trust the liberal media. I mean these are the tree-hugging hippies at the *checks notes* National Review?
Damn, Donald, I have never seen anyone lose as consistently, as hard, and as regularly, and I grew up watching the Chicago Cubs, my man https://t.co/jlfR3oT8Fo
— Janie Jones (@janieqjones) November 30, 2020
From where I sit, the Editors @NRO sound like they're over this circus just like the rest of us. The truth + credible evidence matters when it comes to #ElectionResults2020. https://t.co/BIiTNDif1q pic.twitter.com/fsTrX0y1ad
— keri drake bonfili, APR (@thekbonfiliPR) November 30, 2020
If the National Review is coming at a conservative, then you know you have made a mistake https://t.co/UmQqvbE3sC
— Brad Elmore (@SweeepsCS) November 30, 2020
When you've lost the National Review... https://t.co/skoIju4wCc
— Grant Stern (@grantstern) November 30, 2020
Losing the National Review takes work
A whole lotta workhttps://t.co/jlu6Xer2Lq pic.twitter.com/ffHYF8VSet
— John C Hollar (@vypointjch) November 30, 2020
I think that if you are a Republican and you lose the support of the National Review, you might want to reconsider your life choices. https://t.co/7FjkLqSWgQ
— Steve Daniels (@Steve_Daniels3) November 30, 2020
While many praised the editorial, others hadn't forgotten the National Review's defense and enablement of Trump's actions over his four years as President.
Rich Lowry (and the editors at @NRO) may have -- at long last -- found their spine, but way too late for any Republican who countenances Trump with their silence to reclaim their dignity. https://t.co/EyCUn8CpYL
— Edward Odell (@edwardodell) November 30, 2020
Absolutely of a piece with every other disgraceful thing he did while you lickspittles cheered him on. https://t.co/BBt380N4wv
— David Roberts (@drvox) November 30, 2020
Too little too late. https://t.co/Nluj559uTI
— Catherine (@crush601) November 30, 2020
Concession or none, President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be inaugurated on January 20th.
