President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, delivered a message of unity and healing to a divided nation during their victory speeches in Wilmington, Delaware, on Saturday night hours after the Democratic ticket was announced as winners of the 2020 presidential election.
The news sparked impromptu street celebrations around the country.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump vowed Saturday to press forward with a legal fight, pushing claims of voter fraud in response to the news that came while he was at his Virginia golf club.
Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh tweeted Sunday that the Trump campaign headquarters was emblazoned with copies of a Washington Times newspaper cover following Election Day in 2000 that read "PRESIDENT GORE."
BTV Insider was informed the newspaper cover was fake, as The Washington Times, a conservative-leaning publication, made clear on Twitter.
Murtaugh deleted his post.
Those photos have been doctored. The Washington Times never ran a "President Gore" headline," the publication tweeted. "We also wish to add that Mr. Murtaugh has been officially notified via email about this error."
The tweet comes as the president refuses to concede the 2020 election after news outlets have projected Joe Biden as the winner.
"Since when does the Lamestream Media call who our next president will be?" Trump tweeted Sunday. "We have all learned a lot in the last two weeks!"
Retiring Rep. Francis Rooney, R-Fla. tweeted on Sunday, "Congratulations to Pres-elect Biden on a successful campaign."
Few elected Republicans have publicly congratulated Biden, or referred to the former VP as "president-elect." Rooney continued, "...all Americans need to come together to support Pres-elect Biden. Our nation will only be successful if the new admin is. We must work together to enact bipartisan legislation and solve the problems our country faces.
That is how our system of government works. We have more that unite us than divide us, and now that the heat of battle has drawn to a close we must come together for the betterment of all our citizens."
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a longtime ally of President Donald Trump, said the president needs to show proof of his various claims of electoral fraud or else Republicans "can't do this" anymore.
"It was so important early on to say to the president, 'If your basis for not conceding is that there was voter fraud, then show us,'" Christie told ABC's "This Week." "Show us. Because if you can't show us, we can't do this. We can't back you blindly without evidence."
Joe Biden was on Saturday projected to win the presidency after securing more than 270 Electoral College votes. But the president has not yet conceded the race, continuing to falsely claim he won the election while promoting unfounded claims of voter fraud.
"I'm hoping that more Republicans move in the direction of saying, not that we don't support the president, he's been a friend of mine for 20 years, but friendship doesn't mean that you're blind," Christie added. "Friendship means that you'll listen to somebody, give them their opportunity, and if they don't come forward with the proof, then it's time to move on."
When Biden is sworn into office in January, he will have to grapple with the reality left by a split decision on Election Day; that while he won, his party failed to make enough gains in the Senate to ensure that he will have friendly cooperation in Congress to enact his proposals.
Biden has to preside over an angry and polarized nation, a broken Congress, and the continuing economic and public health crises posed by the coronavirus. He has promised to unify the country, a brutal task that will require him to manage the expectations of the left wing of his own party and the anger of defeated Republicans. And to enact his legislative agenda, he will have to satisfy a Senate that may be led by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., depending on the outcome of remaining races, as well as a House led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
The political bases of both sides are suspicious of anything that unites them. That's why many political insiders say Biden will only be successful if his presidency matches his campaign. His campaign rejected the most extreme proposals of fellow Democrats and embraced left leaning Republican views.
"It’s going to be a difficult environment," Doug Heye said, a former leadership aide on Capitol Hill who backed Biden.
Those who voted for Biden said their fight for progressive ideals cannot stop now that a Democrat has been elected and said they’ll push to hold Biden accountable when it comes to issues like racial injustice, climate change and immigration.
Courtesy of NBC
Comments