Trump: "If Biden Wins the Electoral College Vote, He Will Leave the White House" (Summary)

Indicates Acceptance of Presidential Election Defeat... Repeats Claim of "Election Result Fraud"
Responds to "Last Thanksgiving Plan" Question with "Can't Tell if It's the Last or the First"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned that he would leave the White House if President-elect Joe Biden wins the presidential Electoral College vote scheduled for the 14th of next month (local time). As battleground states are certifying Biden's victory one after another, this is being seen as a de facto concession. However, he also claimed that this Thanksgiving would not be his last at the White House and insisted that the election results were fraudulent, leaving those around him puzzled.

According to U.S. media including The Washington Post (WP) on the 26th, when reporters asked President Trump, "If the Electoral College chooses Biden, will you leave the White House?" he replied, "Of course I will." This is the first time President Trump has responded to reporters' questions since the election on the 3rd.

The U.S. presidential election is an indirect election system where electors chosen by each state based on vote counts select the next president. Although formal, the winner of the Electoral College vote is ultimately confirmed as the next president. President Trump is attempting to overturn the Electoral College vote through election lawsuits but is being pushed into a difficult situation. One major foreign media outlet evaluated his remarks on this day as the closest acknowledgment of defeat.

However, President Trump drew a line regarding conceding the election results at the same event. He claimed, "Conceding is a very concerning matter." Continuing to insist that this election was fraudulent, he repeated his previous claim that "If the Electoral College certifies Biden as the winner, they are making a mistake." The Associated Press pointed out that President Trump is still making baseless claims of election fraud, and The Washington Post interpreted this as an indication that he would not concede the election results.

When asked about his plans for his last Thanksgiving at the White House, he also said, "I don't know if it will be the first or the last." When asked whether he would attend President-elect Biden's inauguration, President Trump said, "I have made a decision but will not say."

The actions of President Trump and President-elect Biden during the Thanksgiving holiday were contrasting. President Trump enjoyed golf before holding a video conference with overseas deployed troops, while President-elect Biden held a video call with medical staff fighting against COVID-19 at his Delaware home. Through a CNN op-ed, President-elect Biden repeatedly emphasized minimizing family gatherings during Thanksgiving to prevent COVID-19, but President Trump urged all Americans to gather at home or places of worship to offer prayers of thanks.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.