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Trump supporters thrive in chaos

Trump is leaving no stone unturned to undermine the very process that has denied him a second term.

There are fewer soap operas that can match the dramatic tension generated by this year’s American presidential elections. It has been weeks since it became clear that Joe Biden would be the 46th President of the United States, but his predecessor and his army of supporters have ensured that no stone is left unturned to keep the president back in office. This, despite there being legal loopholes in their misdirected attempts. And a fairly complex electoral process is only offering layers to add to the chaos and confusion.

Days after the Electoral College affirmed Biden’s victory, Republican electors supporting President Donald Trump have come together in states won by Biden to appoint themselves as “alternate electors” in a bid to cement the POTUS’ claim. How exactly did the latest antic play out? In 25 states, Biden won more votes than Trump and managed a total of 306 electors. The results were certified and governors in each states earmarked a group of electors who are to vote for the winner — in this case, Biden. Enter, the “alternate electors”, who have not been designated by any state officials and hence their legal standing to overturn the course of Electoral College remains questionable. While the both chambers of the congress are likely to meet on January 6 to accept electors’ votes, the outcome is not likely to be any different with Republicans’ objecting to Biden.

If all this is a fruitless exercise, then why are Trump supporters doing so? Simply because, for weeks now, there have been attempts to undermine the electoral process that led to Biden’s victory. The President himself minces no words when he sets out to discredit the elections, often outrightly claiming they were rigged. Tweeting (almost) by the hour, Trump is leaving no stone unturned to undermine the very process that has denied him a second term. Not known to eat the humble pie, the President is yet to concede, even though in American politics it is a routine gesture extended by an outgoing president. His paranoia has not gone unnoticed by a certain section of Republicans who feel Trump has been graceless in not acknowledging Biden’s win. Biden himself broke his silence recently, calling the POTUS’ attempts to discredit his victory “unconscionable”.

The latest effort is possibly a last ditch effort to add to the paranoia because legally, the electors are pledged to vote for the winner. And while it may not yield the results Trump supporters have been hoping for, will the American people be convinced of an imagined foul-play? Surely, Trump and Co should know better.