The Wall Street Journal in an editorial published in Monday’s edition is calling on President Trump to concede the election.
The editorial notes the recent Supreme Court ruling declining to hear a lawsuit by Texas attempting to throw out the results of four swing states that went for President-elect Joe Biden. The right-leaning paper also faults Democrats for promoting claims of Trump’s own illegitimacy as president, writing that such claims opened the door to his baseless claims of widespread voter fraud.
However, the editorial states, “none of this excuses Mr. Trump’s attempts to delegitimize Mr. Biden’s victory on Nov. 3.”
“Even if Mr. Biden’s narrow victory was overturned in one of the closely contested states, he would have more than 270 electoral votes. John Kerry and Al Gore both would have won had they not narrowly lost Ohio and Florida, respectively, but they both conceded (Mr. Gore after a long legal fight),” the editorial board wrote. “Richard Nixon conceded in 1960 despite evidence that he was cheated out of Illinois. All did so at least in part to avoid tipping the U.S. into irreparable political division.”
The editorial acknowledges Trump “rarely takes our advice,” but adds that “bitterness as a political strategy rarely wears well” and predicts that his refusal to concede could lead to Republican losses in the Jan. 5 Georgia Senate runoffs and further violence in the streets.
“Mr. Trump has had his innumerable days in court and lost,” the newspaper concludes. “He would do far better now to tout his accomplishments in office, which are many, and accept his not so horrible fate as one of 45 former American Presidents.”
The editorial comes as the Electoral College is set to vote Monday. The president has reportedly attempted in vain to pressure Republican legislatures in states Biden won to appoint pro-Trump electors.