by DOC » Tue Dec 29, 2020 7:29 am
One of Donald Trump’s favourite newspapers, The New York Post, has implored him to “stop the insanity” and move on from his election defeat in a blunt editorial.
The Post is one of the four major papers in New York, where the President has spent the vast majority of his life – the others being The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and The New York Daily News.
It was one of the few high profile publications to endorse Mr Trump over Joe Biden ahead of the election on November 3, arguing four more years of the Trump administration would be “the best choice” for the country.
That was a while ago now.
Almost two months have passed since the election. Dozens of lawsuits challenging the result have been thrown out of court. And the electoral college has voted, officially confirming Mr Biden’s victory.
Still, the President has not accepted his loss. He continues to post baseless claims about widespread fraud on social media, and to insist he could remain in office past Inauguration Day on January 20.
In its editorial today, The New York Post’s editorial board spoke directly to Mr Trump. It urged him to cease his efforts to overturn the result, and instead refocus on the upcoming Senate elections in Georgia, which have significant ramifications for the next two years.
“Mr President, it’s time to end this dark charade,” the editorial board said.
“We’re one week away from an enormously important moment for the next four years of our country. On January 5, two runoff races in Georgia will determine which party will control the Senate – whether Joe Biden will have a rubber stamp of a much-needed check on his agenda.”
The two runoff elections are necessary because no Senate candidate in Georgia received a majority of the vote on November 3.
Incumbent Republicans David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler are trying to fend off challenges from Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock.
As things stand, the Republicans have 50 confirmed senators heading into the next Congress, while the Democrats have 48. The Republicans only need one of their incumbents to win to retain control of the chamber.
However, should both Democrats win on January 5, the Senate will be split 50-50. In that scenario, incoming vice president Kamala Harris will hold the tiebreaking vote for the first two years of Mr Biden’s term, up until the midterm elections.
“Unfortunately, you’re obsessed with the next day, January 6, when Congress will, in a pro forma action, certify the electoral college vote,” The Post continued.
“You have tweeted that, as long as Republicans have ‘courage’, they can overturn the results and give you four more years in office.
“In other words, you’re cheering for an undemocratic coup.”