The Media and Trump’s refusal to concede
The 2020 U.S presidential election occurred on November 3rd, between President Donald Trump, and former Vice President Joe Biden. Four days later it was clear to some that Biden had won the election.
Although on November 7th numerous credible news sources had called the election in Biden’s favor, the president declared himself the winner a week later. According to an article from Vox.com titled “In 24 hours, Trump went from almost conceding to falsely claiming “I WON THE ELECTION!” the president claimed the election was stolen from him. He declared himself the winner via Twitter even though he had lost both the popular vote and the electoral college vote.
The same article explained that when Trump finally acknowledged that Biden had won the election, he claimed it was only because the election was rigged. Vox informed readers that the president and his supporters have spread information that had not been supported by evidence, claiming the election was fraudulent. By posting this kind of information on social media the president has convinced his supporters not to accept the outcome of the 2020 election. Supporters of the president took it upon themselves to protest the results of the election calling for a recount. This article did a good job of covering the event however, they did not include much about how the Biden/ Harris team has responded to Trump’s refusal to concede or his various claims of voter fraud.
In an article from BBC.com titled “Million MAGA March: Thousands of pro-Trump protesters rally in Washington DC,” readers get a deeper look into how Trump supporters are reacting to him losing the presidency. The story informs its audience that about a million Trump supporters gathered in Washington, marching from Freedom Plaza to the Supreme Court. Protesters were showing their support for Trump. A video is posted along with the article where views get to hear directly from individuals participating in the protest. One demonstrator named Edward X Young acknowledged that Trump will still hold the presidency until January 20, 2021. Young explained that Trump supporters would continue the fight against Democrats, he said they “will certainly fight for him to be re-elected in 2024.”
The audience also learns that the Trump administration had filed various lawsuits in several states in hopes of overturning the results in those areas. These lawsuits have all been rejected by the courts, being that the administration has not provided any creditable evidence to back up its claims.
The article also explained that the Trump administration had not given Biden and his people access to crucial information need to ensure a smooth transition of power. While some Republicans have encouraged his actions, others spoke out urging Trump to work with the Biden administration.
The BBC article has a lot of good components to it. Readers were informed about the protests, Trumps’ refusal to concede, and its effect on the new upcoming administration.
Overall, the converge of this story seems fair to both sides. Writers could have done more to inform their readers about how the Biden administration and their supporters feel about what is occurring with Trump and his supporter. However, we do get to understand how Trump’s refusal to concede has affected the Biden administration.