The 2020 election was called weeks ago, yet the president and many Republicans have not acknowledged President-elect Joe Biden’s win. President Donald Trump continues to fight a dying battle in the swing states, paying for expensive recounts and rejected lawsuits. Trump is yet to formally concede even as the electoral college draws nearer. 

Throughout the election, Trump and his team spread misinformation about election safety and mail-in ballots. This created distrust among his supporters, and they still believe he has won. His team has said that dead people have voted, people voted twice, ballots were scanned more than once, or unregistered people cast ballots. However, all of these assertions have been found to be false. Election officials have found the 2020 election to be one of the most secure elections in United States history. However, when the director of homeland security, Chris Krebs, said this, Trump fired him.

By spreading this misinformation, many Trump supporters went to bed on election night believing they had won the election. By the next morning, the projected result looked very different as more mail-in ballots began to be counted, which Trump supporters believed could not be trusted. This only fuels the tension and division that is already present in this country.  

Right after the election, there was quite a bit of confusion about the transition. President Trump did not allow the Biden team access to information or funds. Weeks later, the transition was able to truly begin, but this gives the incoming Biden administration far less time to prepare for their take over. This puts the US in a dangerous place Cooperation from Congress and the sitting president is pertinent in having a smooth transition. The incoming president has to be ready to nominate all of the positions that require Senate confirmation, so the federal government is not left without important personnel for too long. Additionally, they must be informed well enough to make enormous decisions on day 1. An unsuccessful transition can lead to severe national security problems. For example, the 9/11 commission found that the delayed transition following the contentious 2000 election prevented the Bush administration from being fully prepared (CBS). The consequences of an underprepared federal government are dire, yet the Trump Administration continues to spread false information, incite distrust in US election systems, and attempt to delay the transition. 

The Trump team has pursued a number of lawsuits, many of which have been rejected due to lack of evidence, and recounts in Michigan have turned up with more Biden Harris votes than previously.

Recently, a Trump hearing in Michigan caught national attention, when the star witness, Mellissa Carone, was extremely combative and rude to the legislators and asked if they had done something to the voter rolls or if they had signed an affidavit. This was after this same issue was dismissed by a Michigan court because there was no legal basis or evidence to grant a trial in court. This was brought up at the hearing but met with a rude response from Carone. Another witness claimed there was a fraud because the ballot counting room was too hot. The whole hearing resulted in virtually nothing. The transition will still continue and Biden will be inaugurated in January. 

The Michigan hearing is also suspected to be the place where Rudy Guiliani, Trump’s personal lawyer, and Jenna Ellis, a lawyer on the Trump team, contracted COVID-19. Guiliani was even hospitalized. Additionally, this comes after the outbreak at the White House that infected the president. The behavior of the Trump administration did not change after that event. 

The behavior of the President and his administration could prove to have dire consequences for people in the US.