Donald Trump Remarks Over Joe Biden 'Wrongfully' Claiming Office of the President Sets off Social Media

President Donald Trump said Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden 'wrongfully' claimed the [...]

By Daniel S. Levine

President Donald Trump said Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden "wrongfully" claimed the "office of the President" as Biden's leads in undecided battleground states continue to rise Friday evening. Since Tuesday, Biden has not claimed victory in his speeches, instead urging for all the votes to be counted and expressing confidence that he will be the victor. In another tweet on Friday, Trump boasted that he had a "big lead" in these states on election night. Trump's comments on Twitter caused a firestorm on social media.

"Joe Biden should not wrongfully claim the office of the President. I could make that claim also. Legal proceedings are just now beginning," Trump first wrote. He later added, "I had such a big lead in all of these states late into election night, only to see the leads miraculously disappear as the days went by. Perhaps these leads will return as our legal proceedings move forward!"

Biden holds leads in Pennsylvania, Nevada and Georgia, meaning he has an easier path to the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the presidency, reports The Associated Press. Biden's lead in Pennsylvania stands at over 19,000 votes, while his lead in Nevada is about 22,000. As Biden's lead in Pennsylvania widened, his aides said he planned to speak again in primetime Friday night. The AP has not called Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, or Pennsylvania because there are still thousands of votes to count.

​

Trump appeared to have a lead in Pennsylvania Tuesday night because officials there were not allowed to count mail-in ballots until Tuesday because of state law. In Nevada, there is a hold-up because some voters were allowed to register on Election Day and voted with provisional ballots. Their eligibility to vote has to be verified by officials. There will also be a recount in Georgia.

prevnext

​

There could also be a recount in Pennsylvania, reports the AP. Biden's edge is only 0.29% as of Friday evening. If the margin between the two candidates is just 0.5%, an automatic recount is triggered under state law. There are more than 102,000 mail ballots that still have to be counted, according to the Pennsylvania secretary of state's website. Some of those remaining are in Allegheny County, where Pittsburgh is located, and Philadelphia County, both counties with strong support for Democrats.

prevnext

​

Trump has not appeared on camera since Thursday, when claimed without evidence that "they are trying to steal an election, they are trying to rig an election." Early Wednesday morning, Trump did claim victory, but Biden has not done so. During a statement on Wednesday, Biden said he was "not here to declare that we have won," but he said that "when the count is finished, we believe we will be the winners."

prevnext

​

Multiple Twitter users noted that Trump himself claimed victory during his speech early Wednesday morning and immediately began questioning the integrity of the ballots without evidence. "Frankly, we did win this election. We did win this election," Trump said. "So our goal now is to ensure the integrity for the good of this nation. This is a very big moment. This is a major fraud in our nation."

prevnext

​

"The act is over, it's time to go home! End scene," one person wrote. Others said Trump was to blame for the low Republican mail-in ballot turnout, since Trump spent months questioning mail-in ballots' legitimacy.

prevnext

​

Sources told CNN Trump has not written a concession speech and does not plan to concede in the next few days. Instead, Trump, his senior advisors and his adult sons plan to challenge results in court. Some aides, including chief of staff Mark Meadows are reportedly bolstering Trump's baseless claim that the election is being stolen. Vice President Mike Pence is also helping by trying to raise funds for a legal defense fund.

"This is no longer about any single election. This is about the integrity of our entire election process," Trump wrote Friday. "We will pursue this process through every aspect of the law to guarantee the American people have confidence in our government. I will never give up fighting for you and our nation."

prev
0comments
Start the Conversation

of