Kaitlyn Hart
Life Editor
For the past 244 years that America has been a functioning country, the United States has been founded on the ideals of a fair electoral system. We count on fair and speedy trials, we count on a righteous justice system and we depend on our electors to give the people what they deserve, the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We believe that our elections should be impartial and that all successors should have a swift and comfortable transition into power. Donald Trump is trying to take that away from us.
According to NPR, “Each president has peacefully handed over power to the next since 1797 when George Washington stepped down.”
Beginning at the first 2020 Presidential Debate on Tuesday, September 29th, current President Donald Trump insinuated to the millions of Americans watching, and those all across the world that he was considering refusing the results of the 2020 election.
At the time it was speculation that Trump would refuse to leave office, something that left-leaning political commentators joked about, imagining Trump being dragged from the White House kicking and screaming. But it started to become a real possibility after Trump told debate moderator Chris Wallace, “I am urging my people – I hope it’s going to be a fair election. If it’s a fair election…” to which Chris Wallace asked, “You’re urging them what?” and Trump responded, “I am 100% on board, but if I see tens of thousands of ballots being manipulated, I can’t go along with that. And I’ll tell you what. From a common-sense…”
Since President-elect Joe Biden’s win of the presidency, the issue of a potentially non-peaceful transition of power has been on the minds of Americans and all those who worry about the sanctity of America’s democracy. No rules exist for this kind of circumstance in the constitution, as the founding fathers didn’t anticipate that there would be such divisiveness in the country. Or, that a sitting president would refuse to leave once it is time for him to be replaced. There has never been this kind of infantile behavior and childish actions seen before in the White House.
It is currently 3 weeks and four days since the election, and Donald Trump still refuses to concede, making him the only candidate in modern elections who lost by this wide a margin to refuse to concede by this point, according to National Geographic. Last week, Trump begrudgingly decided to allow the Biden transition team to receive intel briefings, something that most presidents-elect have received just days after winning the election.
According to BBC News, “President Trump this week acknowledged that the transition for President-elect Joe Biden to take office is going ahead. But on Thursday, he made clear he’s in no mood to concede the election, even after the Electoral College formally votes this month.” It is simply unprecedented, meaning that there are no protocols for what would happen if Trump simply refused to leave or refused to accept the results of the election.
According to National Geographic, it is as simple as this, “When Biden is sworn into the presidency on Inauguration Day, Trump will become a civilian. If Trump attempted to remain, Biden would have the authority as the new commander-in-chief to order the military or Secret Service to physically remove Trump from the premises.”
So really, as much as Trump wants to claim squatters’ rights, in the worst-case scenario, he could actually be forcefully removed from the White House. This would not only be an unprecedented situation, but it would destroy the sanctity of the White House and taint the honor that the Presidency holds, or whatever is left of it, forever.
Every President in the history of the country has been given the respect and dignity of a peaceful transition of power, no matter how contested or disputed the election was. After December 14th, if the Electoral College does indeed vote Joe Biden into the Presidency officially, which is what is expected to occur, Joe Biden deserves respect. it is not only important, it is right that he is given the same dignity and the same Presidential honor that Trump was given four years ago.
