After the Electoral College officially formalized President-elect Joe Biden’s victory on Monday, a growing number of Republican lawmakers are telling Donald Trump that it’s time to move on.
Even South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of the most shameless Trump sellouts of the past four years, seemed to acknowledged that Biden is headed to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, saying he would work with the president-elect wherever possible.
“It’s a very, very narrow path for the President,” Lindsey Graham said. He told me he spoke with Biden “a while ago” for about 10 minutes and had a “very pleasant’ conversation with him, saying he would work him where he could.
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) December 14, 2020
In a statement, Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander told Trump that it’s time to move on and accept the clear outcome of the 2020 election.
“The presidential election is over,” the Tennessee Republican said. “I hope that President Trump will put country first, take pride in his considerable accomplishments, and help president-elect Biden get off to a good start.”
My statement on the presidential election. pic.twitter.com/V14WOqqwIg
— Sen. Lamar Alexander (@SenAlexander) December 15, 2020
Ohio GOP Sen. Rob Portman also issued a statement on Monday acknowledging the reality that Biden will be the next president.
“The orderly transfer of power is a hallmark of our democracy, and although I supported President Trump, the Electoral College vote today makes clear that Joe Biden is now President-Elect,” Sen. Portman said.
These statements follow an earlier admission by South Dakota GOP Sen. John Thune that Biden won the election.
“It’s time for everybody to move on,” Sen. Thune said.
MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow reported on a handful other GOP senators, including Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt, Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, and others who are finally admitting what much of the country has known for weeks.
Rachel Maddow reports on some Republicans who are reluctantly admitting that the election is over and Joe Biden will be the next president. #maddow pic.twitter.com/m4jQDcERZG
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) December 15, 2020
Sorry, GOP, but you get no credit for accepting reality now
Republicans are hoping that issuing weak statements acknowledging Joe Biden’s victory will completely erase how they humored Donald Trump’s attempted coup over the past month – but it won’t.
For weeks, they watched as Trump tried to overturn the will of the American people by tossing out millions of lawful votes cast in battleground states – and these GOP officials either stayed silent or aided Trump’s efforts.
It’s great that a growing number of Republican lawmakers are finally willing to accept the reality that Joe Biden is headed to the White House next month, but their refusal to stand up to Donald Trump’s assault on democracy should hang over their heads for the remainder of their political careers.
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Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
