As Congress prepares to ratify President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory next week, President Donald Trump is planning to continue fighting the results of the election, The Daily Beast reported.
According to the publication, two people familiar with the matter claimed that the commander-in-chief is telling close associates and advisers that he wants to carry on with his battle against Biden’s victory after the January 6 certification of the electoral results.
“The way he sees it is: Why should I ever let this go?… How would that benefit me?” one source said.
The news outlet claimed that Trump’s legal team, administration, and campaign spokespeople did not provide comment for the story.
“But among Trump’s most devoted followers the idea that he would continue fighting on, even after the 6th, is a no-brainer,” the report read.
Despite the long-shot odds Trump faces, The Daily Beast noted that some of his strongest supporters agree with his purported plan to continue fighting the 2020 electoral results. Notably, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell told the publication that giving up is not an option.
“If these people [around the president] don’t end up standing up, they are just as bad as the people who tried to commit the crime.”
The Daily Beast report also touched on the mass protest in Washington, D.C., that Trump and his allies are planning on the day of the congressional certification of his Democratic opponent’s victory. The protest will include speakers such as Trump adviser Roger Stone, former Trump campaign official George Papadopoulos, and Rep.-elect Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Trump’s refusal to concede has driven a large fundraising haul in support of his legal battles. As reported by the BBC , the campaign and Republican National Committee claimed in early December to have raised almost half a billion dollars since October. As the publication noted, post-election fundraising emails contained small print that revealed the majority of the money would be funneled to various priorities outside of the “Official Election Defense Fund.”
According to Michael Cohen , Trump’s former personal lawyer, the real estate mogul plans to keep casting doubt on Biden’s presidency after he leaves office. He will allegedly do so using future media networks he allegedly plans to establish as he paves the way for a possible 2024 presidential bid.
Many GOP figures, such as Sen. Josh Hawley , have thus far supported Trump’s refusal to concede. In particular, Hawley’s support of the president has sparked speculation that he has his own reasons for the dissent — appealing to the head of state’s supporters to pave the way for his own 2024 presidential run.
