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Summary
- After almost a month, Mr Trump has finally spoken with the reporters, saying he will leave the White House only if the Electoral College finds Mr Biden a winner of the US Presidential Elections.
- Up to this day, Mr Trump makes false accusations of fraud that allegedly happened during the recent presidential election, even though the dispute had been unfounded factually.
- The Electoral College representatives are set to meet on 14 December and give their support to the candidate with the popular vote. Currently, Mr Biden has 306 votes as opposed to Mr Trump’s 232 votes – 270 is needed for the official victory.
Current US President Donald Trump said in a recent interview that he would peacefully leave the White House if president-elect Joe Biden gets voted for by the Electoral College.
Mr Trump had not previously admitted anything related to his defeat in Presidential Election 2020, nor about leaving the White House on 20 January – this statement marks his closest attempt yet, at a compromise.
In his previous tweets and public statements, the current US President did not acknowledge defeat and claimed that this year’s elections were the ‘most corrupt in American political history’ without any clear evidence.
DO READ: Biden Gets Ready for White House Despite Trump’s Refusal to Concede
The Electoral College’s meeting will take place on 14 December, while the final day of the presidential dispute is due on 20 January, the Inauguration Day, when the newly elected president Mr Biden should be moving in the White House.
What did Mr Trump say?
During the first meeting with the reporters since 3 November, Mr Trump mentioned that he would ‘surely’ move out from the White House in case the Electoral College finds Mr Biden a genuine winner of these year’s heated elections.
However, the President added that there would be a lot of twists until Inauguration Day, claiming a massive fraud had been committed while comparing the US to a third-world country.
Mr Trump met with the reporters after another meeting with the US troops, which regularly takes place during Thanksgiving Day.
What will happen if Mr Trump decides against vacating the White House?
Mr Biden is already prepared for this situation, as his administration stated that previously, the government has successfully dealt with intruders in the White House.
Once Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris get sworn in on the Inauguration Day, Mr Trump would become just a private citizen with no presidential power.
In case Mr Trump decides to stay in the White House once his authority ends, the federal government has full right to remove him forcibly. Mr Trump could also be legally prosecuted if that situation occurs, as he will not have the presidential immunity.
What is the Electoral College going to decide?
During the meeting on 14 December, the Electoral College will need to confirm the next US President.
Party loyalists from all US states will assemble together and cast their assist to the candidate that won the most popular vote in their electoral state.
The winning candidate requires at least 270 electoral votes from all states combined – Mr Biden had ultimately received 306 votes, leaving Mr Trump way behind with 232 votes.
Currently, Mr Biden is also leading Trump in the number of overall votes – he has over six million more votes than Mr Trump.
US elections are not about how many individuals vote for the future president but are focused on electoral votes that each state differs in. This system proved to be in Mr Trump’s favour back in 2016 when Hillary Clinton won the majority of votes, but Mr Trump won the popular vote decided by the Electoral College.
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