Edward Norton Goes Viral for Laying out Donald Trump's 'Desperate Endgame'

Edward Norton made waves on social media Friday after he laid into President Donald Trump in a merciless Twitter rant. The 51-year-old actor admitted he was "no political pundit" but nonetheless as the son of a federal prosecutor had a few words to say about the 45th president's refusal to concede to President-elect Joe Biden after the election.

Writing that in addition to learning from his father, Norton also has played "a fair amount of poker" and does not think that "Trump is trying to 'make his base happy' or '[lay] the groundwork for his own network.' or that 'choose is what he loves.'" Norton wrote that Trump "knows he's in deep, multi-dimensional legal jeopardy & this defines his every action." He wrote that Trump was using it as "a tactical delay of the transition to buy time for coverup & evidence suppression" and called it a "desperate endgame."

I’m no political pundit but I grew up w a dad who was a federal prosecutor & he taught me a lot & I’ve also sat a fair amount of poker w serious players & l’ll say this: I do not think Trump is trying to ‘make his base happy’ or ‘laying the groundwork for his own network’...

— Edward Norton (@EdwardNorton) November 20, 2020

Norton continued, calling Trump "a mobster" and saying that Americans cannot let him "bully the USA into a deal to save his a— by threatening our democracy." Subsequently, the American History X actor insulted Trump directly. "I will allow that he's also a whiny, sulky, petulant, Grinchy, vindictive little 10-ply-super-soft b— who no doubt is just throwing a wicked pout fest & trying to give a tiny-hand middle finger to the whole country for pure spite, without a single thought for the dead & dying," he wrote.

"But his contemptible, treasonous, seditious assault on the stability of our political compact isn't about 2024, personal enrichment or anything else other than trying to use chaos & threat to the foundation of the system as leverage to trade for a safe exit," he continued. "Call. His. Bluff."

"Faith in the strength of our sacred institutions and founding principles is severely stretched...but they will hold. They will. He's leaving, gracelessly and in infamy. But if we trade for it, give him some brokered settlement, we'll be vulnerable to his return. We can't flinch."

Norton's explosive comments come amid a tense political climate in which Trump continues to refuse to acknowledge Biden's win and help with the country's transfer of power. Biden warned Monday that "more people may die if we don't coordinate," asking Trump to concede. The president continues to falsely maintain that widespread voter fraud led to Biden's victory. "And so it's important that it be done — that there be coordination now. Now or as rapidly as we can get that done," Biden said in a speech in his home state of Delaware.

During a typical change in power, incoming administrations usually use the period between the election and Inauguration Day in January to catch up to speed and ensure a smooth transition. While many politicians and pundits have called for Trump to start the transition, still he and his campaign lawyers insist that he won the election.