President Trump on Saturday demanded to know who the congressional Republicans were who acknowledged President-elect Joe Biden as the winner of the presidential election.
The president was referring to a survey from The Washington Post that found that only 25 Congressional Republicans acknowledged Biden’s victory.
“25, wow! I am surprised there are so many. We have just begun to fight. Please send me a list of the 25 RINOS. I read the Fake News Washington Post as little as possible!” Trump tweeted on Saturday, referring to “Republicans in name only.”
The Post has since updated the number to indicate that 26 Republicans acknowledge Biden as the winner. Of those lawmakers, 12 of the 52 GOP senators acknowledged Biden’s win, and 14 House Republicans said the same.
Biden was projected to win the presidential contest nearly one month ago, but Trump has refused to concede the election. Thus far, he has given no indication that he will concede.
The president continues to promote claims, without evidence, that the election was rife with voter fraud. However, Trump is growing isolated in his claims, and he has targeted Republicans who break from him.
For example, he lashed out at Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) after he certified the state’s election results. And Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) was among the first Republicans to call Biden “president-elect,” prompting Trump to urge a primary challenge to the governor in 2022.
The Post asked all 249 GOP members of Congress three questions: Who won the election, do you support President Trump’s efforts to claim victory and will you accept Biden as the “legitimately elected president” if he wins a majority in the Electoral College?
Thirty-one Republicans said that they would accept him as the “legitimate winner,” one more than the 30 previously reported. Nine of the lawmakers said they opposed Trump’s continuing efforts to claim victory, while eight supported those efforts.
More than 70 percent of the lawmakers did not answer the Post’s questions.
The newspaper said it will update its survey as lawmakers clarify their positions or make additional comments.