Trump stews over election loss, remains silent despite increase in COVID-19 cases

Biden is leading the popular vote by more than 5.3 million votes

trump reuters US President Donald Trump interacting with the press in Minnesota | Reuters

President Donald Trump remains reluctant to concede defeat. President-elect Joe Biden in the meantime wins Arizona, cementing results of the election. With winning Arizona, Biden has become the second Democratic presidential candidate in seven decades to win the traditionally Republican state. 

Biden's win in Arizona gives the Democrat 290 electoral votes in the state-by-state Electoral College that determines the winner, more than the 270 needed to claim victory, a Reuters report reads. Biden is also leading the popular vote by more than 5.3 million votes. With few more states still counting votes, several Republicans have publicly endorsed Trump's right to legally challenge the results. 

The Trump campaign has filed lawsuits challenging the vote counts in numerous states. The lawsuits have been thrown out by judges in some states. 

Donald Trump, in the meantime, has publicly disengaged from the battle against the coronavirus, even as cases in the US rise as a rapid pace. Trump remains angry that an announcement about progress in developing a vaccine for the coronavirus came after Election Day. 

Trump also fired Defence Secretary Mark Esper and appointed three loyalists to top Pentagon jobs. Mark Esper was replaced with Christopher C Miller, director of National Counterterrorism Centre. 

James Anderson the acting director of policy planning was replaced by Anthony Tata. Anderson submitted his resignation along with Esper's chief of staff Jen Stewart, who is being replaced by Kash Patel. On November 10, Under Secretary of Defence for Intelligence and Security Joseph Kernan resigned. He was replaced by Ezra Cohen-Watnick. All of the three key replacements are Trump loyalists. 

Aides say the president has shown little interest in the coronavirus pandemic even as cases have been increasing. As per data from John Hopkins University, the US recorded 135,290 fresh COVID-19 cases on Tuesday.

Public health experts say that Trump's refusal to take aggressive action on the pandemic or to coordinate with the Biden team during the final two months of his presidency will only worsen the effects of the virus and hinder the nation''s ability to swiftly distribute a vaccine next year, an AP report reads. Traditionally, the incoming President is given briefings to ensure national security is not compromised during the transition.

Trump hasn't slowed his Twitter habit, but of late, has been using it to express rage over election results. “These states in question should immediately be put in the Trump Win column. Biden did not win, he lost by a lot!” he wrote on Twitter on Friday. Twitter added a fact-check label to the tweet, which read: Official sources called this election differently.

📣 The Week is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@TheWeekmagazine) and stay updated with the latest headlines