GOP split on support for lame-duck president refusing to leave

An unpredictable lame-duck period has begun in the US capital Washington, as US President Donald Trump denies defeat.

The Republican party is, meanwhile, split on whether to back Trump’s allegations of voter fraud in favor of now President-elect Joe Biden or just accept defeat in the 2020 presidential election.

“You’re not gonna change the nature of President Trump in these last days, apparently, of his presidency,” said Republican Utah Senator Mitt Romney. “He is who he is. And he has a relatively relaxed relationship with the truth and so he’s gonna keep on fighting until the very end.”

Donald Trump is spending his first day as a lame duck president at his Virginia golf club. pic.twitter.com/2QHFvBdO1J

— Jill Colvin (@colvinj) November 8, 2020

Romney was the only GOP senator who voted in favor of removing Trump from office during his impeachment trial.

He asserted that Trump would “keep on fighting until the very end,” warning not to “expect him to go quietly into the night… That's not how he operates.”

During the lame-duck period, I’d like to see SDNY indict Trump (Individual 1) for the conspiracy/campaign finance crimes to which Michael Cohen pleaded guilty (easy case to prove). Then we could litigate & resolve the OLC memo’s assertion that we can’t indict a sitting president. https://t.co/lGnqwEOPDQ

— Glenn Kirschner (@glennkirschner2) November 7, 2020

“He’s gonna do what he’s gonna do,” Romney said, noting that the lame-duck president “doesn’t have a choice.”

‘People have spoken’

There are, however, other members of the GOP that back Trump’s several lawsuits to challenge the results, after Biden was projected the winner on Saturday by gaining 270 electoral college votes.

As lame duck Trump pulled in to his golf course now he was welcomed with signs that said “ORANGE CRUSHED” and “Trumpty Dumpty had a great fall.”

— Scott Dworkin (@funder) November 8, 2020

“There are legal processes if you think there are mistakes, but I don’t think we’re gonna see anything that’s gonna overturn this election,” Maryland Republican Governor Larry Hogan said. “This is the way our system works… Whether you like it or not, it's time to get behind the winner of the race.”

Some believe that Trump will ultimately have to leave when his term is over.

I can’t even wrap my mind around what a lame duck President Trump is going to be like. Will he even pretend to try to do any work whatsoever? Seems unlikely to me.

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 5, 2020

“So let’s let this come to its proper conclusion and in the process maximize the number of people who have confidence it was done properly,” said Republican Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey.

The White House has not yet reached out to the former vice president after his victory.

Trump is reportedly preparing to fire CIA Director Gina Haspel and Defense Secretary Mark Esper today. This is a red alert kind of situation—no logical reason to do something like this in a lame duck period.

— Robert J. DeNault (@robertjdenault) November 6, 2020

"I think the White House has made clear what their strategy is here and that they are going to continue to participate and push forward these flailing and in many respects baseless legal strategies," said  Biden’s senior campaign adviser Symone Sanders.  "But the people ... are the folks who decide elections in this country, and the people have spoken.”

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