The president made another failed attempt to overthrow the results of the 2020 election. This time he was caught on audio, arguing with the Georgia Secretary of State that he in fact won the presidency, and asking if perhaps the state official could help him to show proof of that.
Though secretary Brad Raffensperger is indeed a republican, and has previously shared some sentiments with the president, even he could not deny that the president lost this election.
On Jan 2, the Washington Post reported and released audio of the president’s conversation with Raffensperger. During the hour-long call, the president reiterates several conspiracy theories about the election; including false allegations that thousands of dead people voted, and that voting systems used in Georgia were rigged in favor of president-elect Joe Biden.
None of his allegations have been held up in court. But the president and his team of lawyers have continued to hold so-called election fraud hearings, where several witnesses take the stand and share what they claim to be eye witness accounts of ballot tampering, and deliberate attempts to rig the election.
Dozens of democratic lawmakers banned together to publicly condemn the president for his behavior.
Georgia representative Hank Johnson introduced a house resolution censuring the president for his actions Jan 4. Joined by 90 colleagues, they accused Trump of attempting to overturn the election results and reaffirmed their position that the 2020 election was fair.
In addition, they want the president to recall his past statements, and finally concede the election.
“The resolution also calls on President Trump to retract and disavow this unlawful and unconstitutional behavior and acknowledge President-elect Joseph R. Biden as the victor of the November 2020 presidential election,” according to a press release from Rep. Johnson’s office.
The president’s Hail Mary comes just days before polls close in the state of Georgia. And voters select their senators. This runoff has become one of the key races of the general election season, because it will determine who will hold the majority in the upper chamber.
If both democrat candidates can pull in a win, the senate will be at 50-50 even, and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be the deciding vote during tie-breakers. However, only one republican needs to maintain their seat in order for the party to keep its majority.
President Trump, who saw first-hand he no longer has the support he once had, could be looking for an ally should this election not go his way. For him, losing the senate is a total loss for his “new republican” movement. It would show that Americans truly reacted to his presidency and voted in record numbers to see him out.
Whether or not Trump will finally heed advice from both his adversaries and allies is anyone’s guess. During a rally that same evening he told supporters he would “fight like hell” to keep the presidency.