Donald Trump has floated the idea of running for president again in 2024 at a holiday reception at the White House on Tuesday evening.

Donald Trump floats the idea of 2024 WH run, says 'I'll see you in four years'

Ivanka, the daughter and advisor of outgoing US president Donald Trump, was questioned under oath as part of a civil lawsuit alleging misuse of nonprofit funds for the latter's inauguration four years ago.

District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine's office disclosed in a court filing on Tuesday that the deposition had taken place that day.

In a January 2020 lawsuit, Racine claimed Donald Trump's real estate business and other entities misused nonprofit funds to enrich the Trump family.

According to the suit, a tax-exempt nonprofit corporation called the 58th Presidential&nbsp; 
Inaugural Committee coordinated with the Trump family to grossly overpay for event space in the Trump International Hotel in Washington.

Racine's lawsuit alleged that in one case, the nonprofit paid more than $300,000 to hold a private reception at the Trump hotel for the president's three oldest children - Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric - on the inauguration evening of Jan. 20, 2017.

“District law requires nonprofits to use their funds for their stated public purpose, not to benefit private individuals or companies,” Racine said earlier this year.

His lawsuit seeks to recover the $1 million that was allegedly funneled directly to the Trump family business.

The inaugural committee has said its finances were independently audited, and that all money was spent lawfully.

Although campaign finance laws restrict the size of campaign contributions, inauguration committees can accept unlimited donations, including from corporations. The $107 million raised by Trump’s inaugural committee, chaired by real estate developer and investor Thomas Barrack, was the largest in history, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

Former Trump campaign aide Richard Gates served as deputy chairman of the inaugural committee.

Gates was one of several Trump associates convicted in former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into whether Russia interfered in the 2016 election.&nbsp;

Ivanka, the daughter and advisor of outgoing US president Donald Trump, was questioned under oath as part of a civil lawsuit alleging misuse of nonprofit funds for the latter's inauguration four years ago.

Ivanka, the daughter and advisor of outgoing US president Donald Trump, was questioned under oath as part of a civil lawsuit alleging misuse of nonprofit funds for the latter's inauguration four years ago. District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine's office disclosed in a court filing on Tuesday that the deposition had taken place that day. In a January 2020 lawsuit, Racine claimed Donald Trump's real estate business and other entities misused nonprofit funds to enrich the Trump family. According to the suit, a tax-exempt nonprofit corporation called the 58th Presidential Inaugural Committee coordinated with the Trump family to grossly overpay for event space in the Trump International Hotel in Washington. Racine's lawsuit alleged that in one case, the nonprofit paid more than $300,000 to hold a private reception at the Trump hotel for the president's three oldest children - Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric - on the inauguration evening of Jan. 20, 2017. “District law requires nonprofits to use their funds for their stated public purpose, not to benefit private individuals or companies,” Racine said earlier this year. His lawsuit seeks to recover the $1 million that was allegedly funneled directly to the Trump family business. The inaugural committee has said its finances were independently audited, and that all money was spent lawfully. Although campaign finance laws restrict the size of campaign contributions, inauguration committees can accept unlimited donations, including from corporations. The $107 million raised by Trump’s inaugural committee, chaired by real estate developer and investor Thomas Barrack, was the largest in history, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Former Trump campaign aide Richard Gates served as deputy chairman of the inaugural committee. Gates was one of several Trump associates convicted in former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into whether Russia interfered in the 2016 election.

Ivanka Trump questioned in lawsuit over use of inauguration funds

There is more bad news for Donald Trump. The US Attorney General has said investigators found no evidence of voter fraud. Meanwhile, the Outgoing President is reportedly discussing pre-emptive pardons for his inner circle. Molly Gambhir has more.

Gravitas: Will Trump's kids need a Presidential Pardon?

A US federal judge has blocked rule changes ordered by outgoing President Donald Trump regarding Skilled-worker visas, referred to as H1-B visas.

The US Chamber of Commerce, the Bay Area Council and others had sued the Department of Homeland Security arguing that the changes rushed new restrictions through without a proper public review process.

US District Court Judge Jeffrey White granted a motion to set aside two rules by the departments of Labour and Homeland Security that would have compelled companies to pay H1-B visa workers higher wages and trimmed job types that qualify for the visas.

The Trump administration had cited the Covid-19 pandemic and its toll on the economy as reasons for skipping required public notice and review processes, according to court documents.

Bay Area Council chief executive Jim Wunderman said the rushed restrictions were part of what he called a concerted effort by the Trump administration to clamp down on all kinds of immigration. 
&nbsp;

A US federal judge has blocked rule changes ordered by outgoing President Donald Trump regarding Skilled-worker visas, referred to as H1-B visas. The US Chamber of Commerce, the Bay Area Council and others had sued the Department of Homeland Security arguing that the changes rushed new restrictions through without a proper public review process.

A US federal judge has blocked rule changes ordered by outgoing President Donald Trump regarding Skilled-worker visas, referred to as H1-B visas. The US Chamber of Commerce, the Bay Area Council and others had sued the Department of Homeland Security arguing that the changes rushed new restrictions through without a proper public review process. US District Court Judge Jeffrey White granted a motion to set aside two rules by the departments of Labour and Homeland Security that would have compelled companies to pay H1-B visa workers higher wages and trimmed job types that qualify for the visas. The Trump administration had cited the Covid-19 pandemic and its toll on the economy as reasons for skipping required public notice and review processes, according to court documents. Bay Area Council chief executive Jim Wunderman said the rushed restrictions were part of what he called a concerted effort by the Trump administration to clamp down on all kinds of immigration.

US judge blocks Trump rules on tech visas

A lawyer part of current US President Donald Trump's campaign&nbsp;is facing widespread flak for his extreme comments directed at former head of a federal cyber-security agency. Chris Krebs (pictured above), the former head of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (Cisa) had dismissed claims of fraud in US Presidential Election 2020. Joe DiGenova, the lawyer associated with the Trump campaign, said that Krebs should be "taken out at dawn and shot".

Donald Trump is yet to concede in spite of Joe Biden having a clear lead in the electoral college. Trump has mounted a legal offensive to challenge the validity of US election results.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-probes-pardon-bribery-scheme-no-govt-official-under-investigation-346798">US probes pardon bribery scheme; no govt official under investigation</a> 
 
DiGenova, the Trump campaign lawyer made the extreme comments on The Howie Carr show, a podcast on Youtube. After Digenova made the remarks about Krebs, the host did not challenge his assertions.

Chris Krebs was fired as the head of Cisa not long after he said that US Elections were "most secure".

Although Trump has mounted number of lawsuits against election results, he or his team have not been able to produce substantial evidence and have suffered defeats in various courts.

A lawyer part of current US President Donald Trump's campaign is facing widespread flak for his extreme comments directed at former head of a federal cyber-security agency.

A lawyer part of current US President Donald Trump's campaign is facing widespread flak for his extreme comments directed at former head of a federal cyber-security agency. Chris Krebs (pictured above), the former head of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (Cisa) had dismissed claims of fraud in US Presidential Election 2020. Joe DiGenova, the lawyer associated with the Trump campaign, said that Krebs should be "taken out at dawn and shot". Donald Trump is yet to concede in spite of Joe Biden having a clear lead in the electoral college. Trump has mounted a legal offensive to challenge the validity of US election results. Also Read | US probes pardon bribery scheme; no govt official under investigation DiGenova, the Trump campaign lawyer made the extreme comments on The Howie Carr show, a podcast on Youtube. After Digenova made the remarks about Krebs, the host did not challenge his assertions. Chris Krebs was fired as the head of Cisa not long after he said that US Elections were "most secure". Although Trump has mounted number of lawsuits against election results, he or his team have not been able to produce substantial evidence and have suffered defeats in various courts.

Ex-US Election cybersecurity chief should be taken out and shot, says Trump lawyer

US Attorney General William Barr said on Tuesday the Justice Department had found no evidence of widespread voter fraud in last month's election.

The statement comes as President Donald Trump keeps up his flailing legal efforts to reverse his defeat.

Democrat Joe Biden defeated Trump in the November 3 election by 306 to 232 in the state-by-state Electoral College that chooses the president - the same margin that Trump declared a "landslide" when he won four years ago - as well as by more than 6.2 million ballots in the popular vote.

"To date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have affected a different outcome in the election," Barr, a Trump appointee widely seen as loyal to the Republican president, told the Associated Press.

The Trump campaign's legal team responded to Barr's comments by saying the Justice Department did not do enough to investigate allegations of voter fraud.

Barr told federal prosecutors last month to pursue investigations into credible allegations of election fraud, but warned them to avoid probes into "fanciful or far-fetched claims."

Trump has, however, continued to claim loudly and largely without evidence that the election was marred by widespread fraud. Those claims that have been repeatedly rejected by state and federal officials.

Trump's campaign has had no success advancing election-fraud claims in court, but his continued complaints appear to have yielded political benefit as polls show a large percentage of Republicans now believe the election was not conducted fairly.

In Wisconsin, Trump's campaign asked the state's top court to consider throwing out 221,000 absentee ballots that allegedly lacked information. Biden won that battleground state by about 20,000 votes.

Biden, for his part, has focussed on setting up his administration before he takes office on January 20.

On Tuesday, he urged Congress to pass a coronavirus aid package that has been stalled for months, and promised more action to help the economy after he becomes president.

The United States is in the grip of a fresh wave of COVID-19 infections, with more than 4 million new cases and over 35,000 coronavirus-related deaths reported in November, according to a Reuters tally of official data.

US Attorney General William Barr said on Tuesday the Justice Department had found no evidence of widespread voter fraud in last month's election. The statement comes as President Donald Trump keeps up his flailing legal efforts to reverse his defeat.

US Attorney General William Barr said on Tuesday the Justice Department had found no evidence of widespread voter fraud in last month's election. The statement comes as President Donald Trump keeps up his flailing legal efforts to reverse his defeat. Democrat Joe Biden defeated Trump in the November 3 election by 306 to 232 in the state-by-state Electoral College that chooses the president - the same margin that Trump declared a "landslide" when he won four years ago - as well as by more than 6.2 million ballots in the popular vote. "To date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have affected a different outcome in the election," Barr, a Trump appointee widely seen as loyal to the Republican president, told the Associated Press. The Trump campaign's legal team responded to Barr's comments by saying the Justice Department did not do enough to investigate allegations of voter fraud. Barr told federal prosecutors last month to pursue investigations into credible allegations of election fraud, but warned them to avoid probes into "fanciful or far-fetched claims." Trump has, however, continued to claim loudly and largely without evidence that the election was marred by widespread fraud. Those claims that have been repeatedly rejected by state and federal officials. Trump's campaign has had no success advancing election-fraud claims in court, but his continued complaints appear to have yielded political benefit as polls show a large percentage of Republicans now believe the election was not conducted fairly. In Wisconsin, Trump's campaign asked the state's top court to consider throwing out 221,000 absentee ballots that allegedly lacked information. Biden won that battleground state by about 20,000 votes. Biden, for his part, has focussed on setting up his administration before he takes office on January 20. On Tuesday, he urged Congress to pass a coronavirus aid package that has been stalled for months, and promised more action to help the economy after he becomes president. The United States is in the grip of a fresh wave of COVID-19 infections, with more than 4 million new cases and over 35,000 coronavirus-related deaths reported in November, according to a Reuters tally of official data.

US Attorney General Barr says sees no sign of major vote fraud

Joe Biden will keep Donald Trump's trade-war tariffs on China for the time being when he moves into the Oval Office next month, the president-elect has told US media.

Rancor and recrimination have defined the relationship between the world's two biggest economies over the last four years, with Trump slapping import fees on billions of dollars' worth of Chinese goods with tariffs.

Biden meanwhile has been a strident critic of China's human rights record and analysts have predicted his administration will maintain a hawkish posture towards Beijing.&nbsp;

"I'm not going to make any immediate moves, and the same applies to the tariffs," Biden told the New York Times in an interview published Wednesday.&nbsp;

"I'm not going to prejudice my options."

Since winning last month's presidential election, Biden has hinted at a trade policy that would mend Washington's alliances with Europe and the Asia-Pacific.

He has said the United States must join forces with other world democracies to present a united front in global trade policy as a counterweight to China.

Biden has targeted Beijing on several fronts and singled out Chinese President Xi Jinping during a debate with other presidential candidates in February.&nbsp;

"This is a guy who doesn't have a democratic — with a small d — bone in his body," he said then. "This is a guy who is a thug."

His campaign also referred to the crackdown on the Muslim Uighur minority in China's Xinjiang province as a "genocide," provocative language to Beijing with potential ramifications under international law.

Joe Biden will keep Donald Trump's trade-war tariffs on China for the time being when he moves into the Oval Office next month, the president-elect has told US media.

Joe Biden will keep Donald Trump's trade-war tariffs on China for the time being when he moves into the Oval Office next month, the president-elect has told US media. Rancor and recrimination have defined the relationship between the world's two biggest economies over the last four years, with Trump slapping import fees on billions of dollars' worth of Chinese goods with tariffs. Biden meanwhile has been a strident critic of China's human rights record and analysts have predicted his administration will maintain a hawkish posture towards Beijing. "I'm not going to make any immediate moves, and the same applies to the tariffs," Biden told the New York Times in an interview published Wednesday. "I'm not going to prejudice my options." Since winning last month's presidential election, Biden has hinted at a trade policy that would mend Washington's alliances with Europe and the Asia-Pacific. He has said the United States must join forces with other world democracies to present a united front in global trade policy as a counterweight to China. Biden has targeted Beijing on several fronts and singled out Chinese President Xi Jinping during a debate with other presidential candidates in February. "This is a guy who doesn't have a democratic — with a small d — bone in his body," he said then. "This is a guy who is a thug." His campaign also referred to the crackdown on the Muslim Uighur minority in China's Xinjiang province as a "genocide," provocative language to Beijing with potential ramifications under international law.

Biden vows no quick rollback of Trump's China tariffs

Donald Trump has threatened to veto a major military funding bill unless Congress abolishes a liability law protecting social media firms regularly accused of bias by the president.

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act gives immunity to tech companies such as Facebook and Twitter from legal action on content posted by users.

Both platforms have found themselves the target of incandescent fury from Trump in recent weeks after they began attaching disclaimers to social media posts by the president that claimed he had lost last month's election due to voter fraud.

Trump has doubled on a months-old push to abolish the statute in response -- a move that has been backed by his congressional allies.&nbsp;

"Section 230... represents a serious threat to our national security and the integrity of the elections," the president tweeted on Tuesday night.

"Therefore, if the very dangerous &amp; unfair Section 230 is not completely terminated as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), I will be forced to unequivocally VETO the Bill," he added, referring to the annual bill that authorizes the Pentagon's budget.&nbsp;

Some of Silicon Valley's biggest companies have found themselves under fire from both sides of the political spectrum for their handling of content during a bitter US presidential campaign this year.

Republican officials have accused tech firms of censoring conservative voices and grilled Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey during congressional hearings earlier in November.

Both platforms limited the reach of many of Trump's posts, notably those in which the president rejected his election defeat or questioned the integrity of the voting process.

President-elect Joe Biden has also said Section 230 should be "revoked" but has offered no details of any plan to reform the legislation.

Donald Trump has threatened to veto a major military funding bill unless Congress abolishes a liability law protecting social media firms regularly accused of bias by the president.

Donald Trump has threatened to veto a major military funding bill unless Congress abolishes a liability law protecting social media firms regularly accused of bias by the president. Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act gives immunity to tech companies such as Facebook and Twitter from legal action on content posted by users. Both platforms have found themselves the target of incandescent fury from Trump in recent weeks after they began attaching disclaimers to social media posts by the president that claimed he had lost last month's election due to voter fraud. Trump has doubled on a months-old push to abolish the statute in response -- a move that has been backed by his congressional allies. "Section 230... represents a serious threat to our national security and the integrity of the elections," the president tweeted on Tuesday night. "Therefore, if the very dangerous & unfair Section 230 is not completely terminated as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), I will be forced to unequivocally VETO the Bill," he added, referring to the annual bill that authorizes the Pentagon's budget. Some of Silicon Valley's biggest companies have found themselves under fire from both sides of the political spectrum for their handling of content during a bitter US presidential campaign this year. Republican officials have accused tech firms of censoring conservative voices and grilled Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey during congressional hearings earlier in November. Both platforms limited the reach of many of Trump's posts, notably those in which the president rejected his election defeat or questioned the integrity of the voting process. President-elect Joe Biden has also said Section 230 should be "revoked" but has offered no details of any plan to reform the legislation.

Trump threatens military spending veto in social media bias battle

Last hurrah: Donald and Melania Trump kickstart last Christmas at White House

US President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared&nbsp;Kushner&nbsp;and his team are headed to Saudi Arabia and Qatar this week in a bid for further diplomatic deals in the region before leaving the White House, according to media reports Sunday.

Kushner's visit to the Middle Eastern countries&nbsp;would focus on resolving a dispute between Qatar and a Saudi-led alliance, the Wall Street Journal reported, but a number of issues could be on the agenda.

His trip comes days after the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Iran's chief&nbsp;nuclear scientist blamed Israel, heightening tensions in the region.&nbsp;Western and Israeli governments believe Fakhrizadeh was the architect of a secret Iranian nuclear weapons program.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-local-media-says-chief-nuclear-scientist-shot-with-remote-controlled-machine-gun-made-in-israel-346427" hreflang="en">Iran: Local media says nuclear chief shot with remote-controlled machine gun</a>

The clock is also ticking on Trump's time in office, with President-elect Joe Biden due to be sworn in on January 20.

Kushner&nbsp;has sought various deals in the region and has developed a relationship with Saudi Arabia's divisive de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

A senior administration official said on Sunday that&nbsp;Kushner&nbsp;is to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Saudi city of Neom, and the emir of Qatar in that country in the coming days.&nbsp;

Kushner&nbsp;will be joined by Middle East envoys Avi Berkowitz and Brian Hook and Adam Boehler, chief executive of the US&nbsp;International Development Finance Corporation.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-secretly-plotting-potential-2024-presidential-run-345951">Donald Trump secretly plotting potential 2024 presidential run</a>

Kushner&nbsp;and his team helped negotiate normalization deals between Israel and Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Sudan since August. The official said they would like to advance more such agreements before President Donald Trump hands power to President-elect Joe Biden on January&nbsp;20.

US&nbsp;officials believe enticing Saudi Arabia into a deal with Israel would prompt other Arab nations to follow suit. But the Saudis do not appear to be on the brink of reaching such a landmark deal and officials in recent weeks have been focusing on other countries, with concern about Iran's regional influence a uniting factor.

Days before the killing, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu travelled to Saudi Arabia and met with bin Salman, an Israeli official said, in what was the first publicly confirmed visit by an Israeli leader. Israeli media said they were joined by US&nbsp;Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

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The historic meeting underlined how opposition to Tehran is bringing about a strategic realignment of countries in the Middle East. Bin Salman and Netanyahu fear Biden will adopt policies on Iran similar to those adopted during Barack Obama's US&nbsp;presidency which strained Washington's ties with its traditional regional allies.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/biden-wants-to-rejoin-iran-nuclear-deal-but-it-wont-be-easy-343936">Biden wants to rejoin Iran nuclear deal, but it won’t be easy</a>

Biden has said he will rejoin the international nuclear pact with Iran that Trump quit in 2018 - and work with allies to strengthen its terms - if Tehran first resumes strict compliance.

Kuwait is seen as critical in any effort to resolve a three-year rift between Qatar and other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain have imposed an air, naval and land embargo on Qatar since June 2017 over their insistence Doha is too close to Iran and radical Islamist groups. Qatar denies the charges.

US President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner and his team are headed to Saudi Arabia and Qatar this week in a bid for further diplomatic deals in the region before leaving the White House, according to media reports Sunday.

US President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner and his team are headed to Saudi Arabia and Qatar this week in a bid for further diplomatic deals in the region before leaving the White House, according to media reports Sunday. Kushner's visit to the Middle Eastern countries would focus on resolving a dispute between Qatar and a Saudi-led alliance, the Wall Street Journal reported, but a number of issues could be on the agenda. His trip comes days after the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Iran's chief nuclear scientist blamed Israel, heightening tensions in the region. Western and Israeli governments believe Fakhrizadeh was the architect of a secret Iranian nuclear weapons program. Also read| Iran: Local media says nuclear chief shot with remote-controlled machine gun The clock is also ticking on Trump's time in office, with President-elect Joe Biden due to be sworn in on January 20. Kushner has sought various deals in the region and has developed a relationship with Saudi Arabia's divisive de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. A senior administration official said on Sunday that Kushner is to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Saudi city of Neom, and the emir of Qatar in that country in the coming days. Kushner will be joined by Middle East envoys Avi Berkowitz and Brian Hook and Adam Boehler, chief executive of the US International Development Finance Corporation. Also read: Donald Trump secretly plotting potential 2024 presidential run Kushner and his team helped negotiate normalization deals between Israel and Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Sudan since August. The official said they would like to advance more such agreements before President Donald Trump hands power to President-elect Joe Biden on January 20. US officials believe enticing Saudi Arabia into a deal with Israel would prompt other Arab nations to follow suit. But the Saudis do not appear to be on the brink of reaching such a landmark deal and officials in recent weeks have been focusing on other countries, with concern about Iran's regional influence a uniting factor. Days before the killing, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu travelled to Saudi Arabia and met with bin Salman, an Israeli official said, in what was the first publicly confirmed visit by an Israeli leader. Israeli media said they were joined by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. × The historic meeting underlined how opposition to Tehran is bringing about a strategic realignment of countries in the Middle East. Bin Salman and Netanyahu fear Biden will adopt policies on Iran similar to those adopted during Barack Obama's US presidency which strained Washington's ties with its traditional regional allies. Also read| Biden wants to rejoin Iran nuclear deal, but it won’t be easy Biden has said he will rejoin the international nuclear pact with Iran that Trump quit in 2018 - and work with allies to strengthen its terms - if Tehran first resumes strict compliance. Kuwait is seen as critical in any effort to resolve a three-year rift between Qatar and other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain have imposed an air, naval and land embargo on Qatar since June 2017 over their insistence Doha is too close to Iran and radical Islamist groups. Qatar denies the charges.

Donald Trump's senior aide Jared Kushner headed to Saudi Arabia, Qatar

The United States&nbsp;on Tuesday accused&nbsp;China&nbsp;of "flagrant violation" of its obligation to enforce international sanctions on North Korea and said Washington would offer rewards of up to $5 million for information about sanctions evasions.

Speaking to Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, Deputy Assistant Secretary for North Korea State Alex Wong accused&nbsp;China&nbsp;of "seeking to undo" the U.N. sanctions regime aimed at persuading North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons.

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The State Department launched a new website, DPRKrewards.com, that will offer payouts of up to $5 million for tips to boost sanctions on North Korea, including on businesses in China.

"I want to tell you more are forthcoming," Alex Wong, the US deputy special representative on North Korea, said of sanctions.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-gave-covid-19-vaccine-candidate-to-north-koreas-kim-jong-un-us-analyst-346652" hreflang="en">China gave Covid-19 vaccine candidate to North Korea's Kim Jong Un: US analyst</a>

In a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Wong acknowledged that Pyongyang has not yet taken "any concrete steps toward denuclearization" and voiced alarm over its unveiling of a massive long-range missile at a parade in October.

His hard-nosed assessment stands in contrast to the rosy statements over the past four years by Trump, who has boasted that he prevented a catastrophic war and said he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.

But Wong mostly took aim at China, a frequent target of the Trump administration, as he accused Beijing of ignoring UN sanctions that it itself voted for over its ally's missile and nuclear programs.

"The premature sanctions relief that Beijing can't achieve through the diplomatic front door, it is instead trying to achieve through the backdoor -- by choosing not to rigorously implement its UN Security Council resolution obligations," Wong said.

"The examples of this chronic failure are numerous, growing, and worrying."

He said that US vessels provided information to Beijing 46 times since 2019 about North Korean fuel-smuggling in Chinese waters, and in the past year observed 555 cases of North Korean shipments of coal of other sanctioned exports to China.

"On none of these occasions did the Chinese authorities act to stop these illicit imports. Not once," Wong said.

Wong said that 20,000 North Korean workers still worked in China, going against UN-backed efforts to stop what is widely seen as slave labor that the regime exports for revenue.

China has been pushing to ease sanctions on North Korea, believing the regime should see incentives for denuclearisation, and is widely seen as fearing an economic implosion of its impoverished neighbour.

Trump resisted calls for sanctions relief in his February 2019 meeting with Kim in Hanoi, and Wong insisted Tuesday that such pressure provided "key impetus" for North Korea to take "serious denuclearization steps."

The United States on Tuesday accused China of "flagrant violation" of its obligation to enforce international sanctions on North Korea and said Washington would offer rewards of up to $5 million for information about sanctions evasions.

The United States on Tuesday accused China of "flagrant violation" of its obligation to enforce international sanctions on North Korea and said Washington would offer rewards of up to $5 million for information about sanctions evasions. Speaking to Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, Deputy Assistant Secretary for North Korea State Alex Wong accused China of "seeking to undo" the U.N. sanctions regime aimed at persuading North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons. The State Department launched a new website, DPRKrewards.com, that will offer payouts of up to $5 million for tips to boost sanctions on North Korea, including on businesses in China. "I want to tell you more are forthcoming," Alex Wong, the US deputy special representative on North Korea, said of sanctions. Also read: China gave Covid-19 vaccine candidate to North Korea's Kim Jong Un: US analyst In a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Wong acknowledged that Pyongyang has not yet taken "any concrete steps toward denuclearization" and voiced alarm over its unveiling of a massive long-range missile at a parade in October. His hard-nosed assessment stands in contrast to the rosy statements over the past four years by Trump, who has boasted that he prevented a catastrophic war and said he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. But Wong mostly took aim at China, a frequent target of the Trump administration, as he accused Beijing of ignoring UN sanctions that it itself voted for over its ally's missile and nuclear programs. "The premature sanctions relief that Beijing can't achieve through the diplomatic front door, it is instead trying to achieve through the backdoor -- by choosing not to rigorously implement its UN Security Council resolution obligations," Wong said. "The examples of this chronic failure are numerous, growing, and worrying." He said that US vessels provided information to Beijing 46 times since 2019 about North Korean fuel-smuggling in Chinese waters, and in the past year observed 555 cases of North Korean shipments of coal of other sanctioned exports to China. "On none of these occasions did the Chinese authorities act to stop these illicit imports. Not once," Wong said. Wong said that 20,000 North Korean workers still worked in China, going against UN-backed efforts to stop what is widely seen as slave labor that the regime exports for revenue. China has been pushing to ease sanctions on North Korea, believing the regime should see incentives for denuclearisation, and is widely seen as fearing an economic implosion of its impoverished neighbour. Trump resisted calls for sanctions relief in his February 2019 meeting with Kim in Hanoi, and Wong insisted Tuesday that such pressure provided "key impetus" for North Korea to take "serious denuclearization steps."

US accuses China of 'flagrant violation' of North Korea sanctions

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a> has already been labelled as the US President-elect, but the outgoing&nbsp;President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;is refusing to concede even as he lost his legal battles in the states of Arizona and Wisconsin.

After an investigation into Trump's baseless claims of voter fraud and manipulation, Arizona secretary of state Katie Hobbs has cleared the air by stating that "this election was conducted with transparency, accuracy and fairness in accordance with Arizona's laws and elections procedures, despite numerous unfounded claims to the contrary."

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-and-his-tiny-desk-diaperdon-trends-on-twitter-345984">Donald Trump and his tiny desk; #DiaperDon trends on Twitter</a>

Biden has become the first Democrat after Bill Clinton to win this state, which has majorly been Republican in the recent past. Bill Clinton won the state&nbsp;in 1996, and Biden's win, this year, has marked history and has marked a significant shift in the electoral map.

Biden beat Trump by just over 10,400 ballots in a state where turnout was high, and shifting demographics saw a growing population of young Hispanic voters. As per experts, his historic win is being credited to&nbsp;suburban women attracted to his centrist approach.

Also read|<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trumps-close-advisor-scott-atlas-resigns-from-covid-19-taskforce-346573">&nbsp;Donald Trump's close advisor, Scott Atlas, resigns from COVID-19 taskforce</a>

While the country was being given the proof of a transparent and error-free electoral process, Trump took to Twitter to disagree with the results, yet again.

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.<a href="https://twitter.com/OANN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OANN</a> WOW, total election corruption in Arizona. Hearing on now! Why isn’t <a href="https://twitter.com/FoxNews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FoxNews</a> covering the Arizona hearings?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1333464453778706433?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
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"WOW, total election corruption in Arizona. Hearing on now!," he tweeted a few hours before claiming "Such total corruption. So sad for our country!" on the same topic on Twitter.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/joe-biden-appoints-white-houses-first-all-female-communication-team-346323">Joe Biden appoints White House's first all-female communication team</a>

The state of Wisconsin, too, certified Biden's victory after the Governor Tony Evers concluded the process by saying he has "carried out his duty".

"Please join me in thanking our clerks, election administrators, and poll workers across our state for working tirelessly to ensure we had a safe, fair and efficient election," Evers said.

The news broke out a day after&nbsp;Pennsylvania's highest court, too, dismissed Trump's claims of voter fraud in the state. Trump has, meanwhile, also stated that he will concede to Biden only if he loses in the&nbsp;electoral college voting.

Joe Biden has already been labelled as the US President-elect, but the outgoing President Donald Trump is refusing to concede even as he lost his legal battles in the states of Arizona and Wisconsin.

Joe Biden has already been labelled as the US President-elect, but the outgoing President Donald Trump is refusing to concede even as he lost his legal battles in the states of Arizona and Wisconsin. After an investigation into Trump's baseless claims of voter fraud and manipulation, Arizona secretary of state Katie Hobbs has cleared the air by stating that "this election was conducted with transparency, accuracy and fairness in accordance with Arizona's laws and elections procedures, despite numerous unfounded claims to the contrary." Also read| Donald Trump and his tiny desk; #DiaperDon trends on Twitter Biden has become the first Democrat after Bill Clinton to win this state, which has majorly been Republican in the recent past. Bill Clinton won the state in 1996, and Biden's win, this year, has marked history and has marked a significant shift in the electoral map. Biden beat Trump by just over 10,400 ballots in a state where turnout was high, and shifting demographics saw a growing population of young Hispanic voters. As per experts, his historic win is being credited to suburban women attracted to his centrist approach. Also read| Donald Trump's close advisor, Scott Atlas, resigns from COVID-19 taskforce While the country was being given the proof of a transparent and error-free electoral process, Trump took to Twitter to disagree with the results, yet again. .@OANN WOW, total election corruption in Arizona. Hearing on now! Why isn’t @FoxNews covering the Arizona hearings? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 30, 2020 × "WOW, total election corruption in Arizona. Hearing on now!," he tweeted a few hours before claiming "Such total corruption. So sad for our country!" on the same topic on Twitter. Also read| Joe Biden appoints White House's first all-female communication team The state of Wisconsin, too, certified Biden's victory after the Governor Tony Evers concluded the process by saying he has "carried out his duty". "Please join me in thanking our clerks, election administrators, and poll workers across our state for working tirelessly to ensure we had a safe, fair and efficient election," Evers said. The news broke out a day after Pennsylvania's highest court, too, dismissed Trump's claims of voter fraud in the state. Trump has, meanwhile, also stated that he will concede to Biden only if he loses in the electoral college voting.

Joe Biden wins Arizona, Wisconsin; Donald Trump alleges corruption

Marking one of many, the outgoing US President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>'s close advisor on the novel coronavirus has resigned on Monday.

"I am writing to resign from my position as special advisor to the president of the United States," Scott Atlas&nbsp;wrote in a resignation letter to the President. He was&nbsp;infamous for his remarks on not wearing a mask amid a pandemic. The news broke out when a US media channel received a copy of the resignation letter which was dated for December 01.&nbsp;

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/joe-biden-appoints-white-houses-first-all-female-communication-team-346323">Joe Biden appoints White House's first all-female communication team</a>

Atlas had attracted controversy during his time in the COVID-19 taskforce. However, as the coronavirus cases were on a surge and the incoming President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;is preparing his own team, Atlas' resignation was not received as a shock.

His appointment had, earlier, raised concerns as he was not an expert and had no relevant&nbsp;experience or qualifications in public health or infectious disease.&nbsp;

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/brazilian-president-jair-bolsonaro-alleges-lot-of-fraud-in-us-election-2020-346316">Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro alleges 'lot of fraud' in US election 2020</a>

"I worked hard with a singular focus -- to save lives and help Americans through this pandemic," Atlas said, adding that he "always relied on the latest science and evidence, without any political consideration or influence.

Acknowledging the historic win for Joe Biden — something that Donald Trump has not been able to do till date — Atlas wished "all the best" to the incoming administration in his resignation letter. He also thanked his President, Donald Trump, for the "honor".

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/joe-biden-to-nominate-indian-american-neera-tanden-as-budget-chief-report-346315" hreflang="en">Joe Biden to nominate Indian-American Neera Tanden as budget chief: Report&nbsp;</a>

He was infamous for one of his tweets where he discouraged people from wearing a face mask while stepping out in the pandemic by saying, "Masks work? NO".&nbsp;Twitter had slapped a warning label of spreading misinformation on his tweet. He had also asked people to "rise up" against lockdowns and other coronavirus measures.

The&nbsp;US had recorded 13,522,247 coronavirus cases and 267,844 deaths, both by far the worst tolls in the world as of Monday night.

Marking one of many, the outgoing US President Donald Trump's close advisor on the novel coronavirus has resigned on Monday. "I am writing to resign from my position as special advisor to the president of the United States," Scott Atlas wrote in a resignation letter to the President.

Marking one of many, the outgoing US President Donald Trump's close advisor on the novel coronavirus has resigned on Monday. "I am writing to resign from my position as special advisor to the president of the United States," Scott Atlas wrote in a resignation letter to the President. He was infamous for his remarks on not wearing a mask amid a pandemic. The news broke out when a US media channel received a copy of the resignation letter which was dated for December 01. Also read| Joe Biden appoints White House's first all-female communication team Atlas had attracted controversy during his time in the COVID-19 taskforce. However, as the coronavirus cases were on a surge and the incoming President Joe Biden is preparing his own team, Atlas' resignation was not received as a shock. His appointment had, earlier, raised concerns as he was not an expert and had no relevant experience or qualifications in public health or infectious disease. Also read| Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro alleges 'lot of fraud' in US election 2020 "I worked hard with a singular focus -- to save lives and help Americans through this pandemic," Atlas said, adding that he "always relied on the latest science and evidence, without any political consideration or influence. Acknowledging the historic win for Joe Biden — something that Donald Trump has not been able to do till date — Atlas wished "all the best" to the incoming administration in his resignation letter. He also thanked his President, Donald Trump, for the "honor". Also read| Joe Biden to nominate Indian-American Neera Tanden as budget chief: Report He was infamous for one of his tweets where he discouraged people from wearing a face mask while stepping out in the pandemic by saying, "Masks work? NO". Twitter had slapped a warning label of spreading misinformation on his tweet. He had also asked people to "rise up" against lockdowns and other coronavirus measures. The US had recorded 13,522,247 coronavirus cases and 267,844 deaths, both by far the worst tolls in the world as of Monday night.

Donald Trump's close advisor, Scott Atlas, resigns from COVID-19 taskforce

Coronavirus, Trump and China: What made 2020 an unforgettable year

After hinting at conceding defeat to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a> in the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/us-election">US election</a> 2020, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a> is also losing his Twitter followers to the president-elect.

According to Factbase, a site committed to following Trump's public utterances, the president has lost 133,902 devotees since 17 November while the duly elected president has increased 1,156,610.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/joe-biden-wins-arizona-wisconsin-donald-trump-alleges-corruption-346581">Joe Biden wins Arizona, Wisconsin; Donald Trump alleges corruption</a>

In a Sunday tweet, CNN host and media columnist Brian Stelter said that while Twitter supporters were "without a doubt not the main measurement on the planet", it was "still significant: unexpectedly since 2015, Trump is reliably losing adherents".&nbsp;

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Surely not the most important metric in the world, but still worth noting: For the first time since 2015, Trump is consistently losing followers on here. <a href="https://twitter.com/FactbaseFeed?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FactbaseFeed</a> has measured small declines for 11 days in a row. <a href="https://t.co/BZzXJ2D0SJ">pic.twitter.com/BZzXJ2D0SJ</a>
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) <a href="https://twitter.com/brianstelter/status/1333135900419698690?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 29, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Factbase, he called attention to, had "estimated little decreases for 11 days straight".&nbsp;

Trump has 88.8 million devotees, to whom he keeps on tweeting ridiculous cases of constituent extortion and hard and fast paranoid notions encompassing his misfortune to Biden.&nbsp;

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His latest message at the hour of composing went with a video of a group at a convention and stated: "No chance WE LOST THIS ELECTION!"&nbsp;

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NO WAY WE LOST THIS ELECTION! <a href="https://t.co/orOXBaR8uE">https://t.co/orOXBaR8uE</a>
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1333245684011642881?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Trump has griped about his treatment by Twitter, claiming it is one-sided against traditionalists. Numerous onlookers expect that once he leaves office, the site will quit assuming the best about him with respect to his bogus and fiery messages.&nbsp;

Biden has 20.2 million adherents.&nbsp;

On Monday morning, his latest message read: "It's an ideal opportunity to take care of the brutal way of talking, bring down the temperature, and hear each out other once more. To gain ground, we should quit regarding our rivals as our adversaries. We are not foes. We are Americans."

After hinting at conceding defeat to Joe Biden in the US election 2020, Donald Trump is also losing his Twitter followers to the president-elect. According to Factbase, a site committed to following Trump's public utterances, the president has lost 133,902 devotees since 17 November while the duly elected president has increased 1,156,610.

After hinting at conceding defeat to Joe Biden in the US election 2020, Donald Trump is also losing his Twitter followers to the president-elect. According to Factbase, a site committed to following Trump's public utterances, the president has lost 133,902 devotees since 17 November while the duly elected president has increased 1,156,610. Also read: Joe Biden wins Arizona, Wisconsin; Donald Trump alleges corruption In a Sunday tweet, CNN host and media columnist Brian Stelter said that while Twitter supporters were "without a doubt not the main measurement on the planet", it was "still significant: unexpectedly since 2015, Trump is reliably losing adherents". Surely not the most important metric in the world, but still worth noting: For the first time since 2015, Trump is consistently losing followers on here. @FactbaseFeed has measured small declines for 11 days in a row. pic.twitter.com/BZzXJ2D0SJ — Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) November 29, 2020 × Factbase, he called attention to, had "estimated little decreases for 11 days straight". Trump has 88.8 million devotees, to whom he keeps on tweeting ridiculous cases of constituent extortion and hard and fast paranoid notions encompassing his misfortune to Biden. His latest message at the hour of composing went with a video of a group at a convention and stated: "No chance WE LOST THIS ELECTION!" NO WAY WE LOST THIS ELECTION! https://t.co/orOXBaR8uE — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 30, 2020 × Trump has griped about his treatment by Twitter, claiming it is one-sided against traditionalists. Numerous onlookers expect that once he leaves office, the site will quit assuming the best about him with respect to his bogus and fiery messages. Biden has 20.2 million adherents. On Monday morning, his latest message read: "It's an ideal opportunity to take care of the brutal way of talking, bring down the temperature, and hear each out other once more. To gain ground, we should quit regarding our rivals as our adversaries. We are not foes. We are Americans."

Donald Trump losing Twitter followers to Joe Biden

In his first TV interview since losing US Presidential Election 2020, current US President Donald Trump said that he will continue to allege that the elections were a fraud. Trump or his associates are yet to present substantial evidence to back&nbsp;claims of rigged elections. He has faced legal setbacks in various courts in the US. However, he hasn't budged from his position.

"It's not like you're gonna change my mind. My mind will not change in six months," Trump told Fox News interviewer Maria Bartiromo.

"This election was rigged. This election was a total fraud," he claimed, again without backing this up. "We won the election easily."

As he attempts to challenge the validity of elections, case after case has been rejected by judges around the country. The latest rebuff came from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which on Saturday turned down a lawsuit filed by Trump supporters seeking to contest Biden's win in the state.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-supreme-court-weighs-trump-bid-to-bar-illegal-immigrants-from-census-totals-346274">US Supreme Court weighs Trump bid to bar illegal immigrants from census totals</a>

"We're trying to put the evidence in and the judges won't allow us to do it," Trump said. "We are trying. We have so much evidence."

Ignoring the usual boundaries between his office and the judicial and law enforcement system, Trump complained that the Department of Justice and FBI were not helping him.

They are "missing in action," he said, also questioning the point of the Supreme Court if it doesn't intervene.

"We should be heard by the Supreme Court. Something has to be able to get up there. Otherwise, what is the Supreme Court?" he asked.

The 2020 election was not especially close.

Biden won the electoral college vote -- the state-by-state competition deciding the winner -- by 306 to 232. In the popular national vote, which does not decide the result but still has political and symbolic heft, Biden won by 51 to 47 percent.

Losers of US presidential elections traditionally concede almost immediately.

But whether or not Trump ever acknowledges defeat, the Electoral College is all but certain to go through the formal motions of confirming Biden when it meets on December 14 and the Democrat will be sworn in on Inauguration Day January 20.

Even as the clock runs down on his single term, Trump declined to say on Fox News whether he sees an expiry date for his unsuccessful legal campaign.

"I'm not going to say a date," he said.

Asked if he saw a path to victory, he said: "I hope so."

(With AFP inputs)

In his first TV interview since losing US Presidential Election 2020, current US President Donald Trump said that he will continue to allege that the elections were a fraud.

In his first TV interview since losing US Presidential Election 2020, current US President Donald Trump said that he will continue to allege that the elections were a fraud. Trump or his associates are yet to present substantial evidence to back claims of rigged elections. He has faced legal setbacks in various courts in the US. However, he hasn't budged from his position. "It's not like you're gonna change my mind. My mind will not change in six months," Trump told Fox News interviewer Maria Bartiromo. "This election was rigged. This election was a total fraud," he claimed, again without backing this up. "We won the election easily." As he attempts to challenge the validity of elections, case after case has been rejected by judges around the country. The latest rebuff came from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which on Saturday turned down a lawsuit filed by Trump supporters seeking to contest Biden's win in the state. Also Read | US Supreme Court weighs Trump bid to bar illegal immigrants from census totals "We're trying to put the evidence in and the judges won't allow us to do it," Trump said. "We are trying. We have so much evidence." Ignoring the usual boundaries between his office and the judicial and law enforcement system, Trump complained that the Department of Justice and FBI were not helping him. They are "missing in action," he said, also questioning the point of the Supreme Court if it doesn't intervene. "We should be heard by the Supreme Court. Something has to be able to get up there. Otherwise, what is the Supreme Court?" he asked. The 2020 election was not especially close. Biden won the electoral college vote -- the state-by-state competition deciding the winner -- by 306 to 232. In the popular national vote, which does not decide the result but still has political and symbolic heft, Biden won by 51 to 47 percent. Losers of US presidential elections traditionally concede almost immediately. But whether or not Trump ever acknowledges defeat, the Electoral College is all but certain to go through the formal motions of confirming Biden when it meets on December 14 and the Democrat will be sworn in on Inauguration Day January 20. Even as the clock runs down on his single term, Trump declined to say on Fox News whether he sees an expiry date for his unsuccessful legal campaign. "I'm not going to say a date," he said. Asked if he saw a path to victory, he said: "I hope so." (With AFP inputs)

Donald Trump still refuses to budge from election fraud claims

Showing his true support and friendship towards the US outgoing president <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>, the Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has alleged that there was "a lot of fraud"&nbsp;in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/us-election">US elections</a>.&nbsp;

The accusation was made by Bolsonaro on Sunday while he was talking to the reporters after casting a ballot in municipal races.&nbsp;

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/dont-be-embarrassing-czech-president-asks-donald-trump-to-step-down-344233">'Don't be embarrassing': Czech President asks Donald Trump to step down</a>

"I have my sources of information that there really was a lot of fraud there," he said. "Nobody talks about that. If it was enough to define (victory) for one or the other, I don't know."

This statement by Bolsonaro has come after Donald Trump has refused to concede to the President-elect&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>'s historic win.&nbsp;The accusation made by Bolsonaro echoes Trump's campaign. The outgoing President has been alleging voter fraud from his opponent for the last few weeks now. Trump has been challenging the election result with various legal cases, the majority of which he lost. However, he has refused to give up and concede. "It's not like you're gonna change my mind. My mind will not change in six months," he recently said in an interview with a local national TV.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-still-refuses-to-budge-from-election-fraud-claims-346310">Donald Trump still refuses to budge from election fraud claims</a>

"This election was rigged. This election was a total fraud," he claimed, without providing any proof. "We won the election easily."

While many world leaders have come ahead and congratulated Biden, Bolsonaro said he will be waiting for a while before reaching out to the Democratic President-elect. "I am holding back a little more," he said.

Bolsonaro expressed his concern for the alleged US election voter fraud simply to support his argument against the electronic voting system that will be used in the 2022 Brazilian presidential elections. He has been urging leaders and people to go back to the paper ballot system for the 2022 elections, and now he has used Trump's allegations to further his own motives.

Donald Trump has not yet reacted to this rare support he has received from a world leader since the election results. He has been keeping off the grid since Biden's win was announced, and leaders flocked to congratulate him and his Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. Trump's lawyers have been busy filing legal challenges against the election result in various states — leading to defeat in those too.

Showing his true support and friendship towards the US outgoing president Donald Trump, the Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has alleged that there was "a lot of fraud" in the US elections.

Showing his true support and friendship towards the US outgoing president Donald Trump, the Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has alleged that there was "a lot of fraud" in the US elections. The accusation was made by Bolsonaro on Sunday while he was talking to the reporters after casting a ballot in municipal races. Also read| 'Don't be embarrassing': Czech President asks Donald Trump to step down "I have my sources of information that there really was a lot of fraud there," he said. "Nobody talks about that. If it was enough to define (victory) for one or the other, I don't know." This statement by Bolsonaro has come after Donald Trump has refused to concede to the President-elect Joe Biden's historic win. The accusation made by Bolsonaro echoes Trump's campaign. The outgoing President has been alleging voter fraud from his opponent for the last few weeks now. Trump has been challenging the election result with various legal cases, the majority of which he lost. However, he has refused to give up and concede. "It's not like you're gonna change my mind. My mind will not change in six months," he recently said in an interview with a local national TV. Also read| Donald Trump still refuses to budge from election fraud claims "This election was rigged. This election was a total fraud," he claimed, without providing any proof. "We won the election easily." While many world leaders have come ahead and congratulated Biden, Bolsonaro said he will be waiting for a while before reaching out to the Democratic President-elect. "I am holding back a little more," he said. Bolsonaro expressed his concern for the alleged US election voter fraud simply to support his argument against the electronic voting system that will be used in the 2022 Brazilian presidential elections. He has been urging leaders and people to go back to the paper ballot system for the 2022 elections, and now he has used Trump's allegations to further his own motives. Donald Trump has not yet reacted to this rare support he has received from a world leader since the election results. He has been keeping off the grid since Biden's win was announced, and leaders flocked to congratulate him and his Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. Trump's lawyers have been busy filing legal challenges against the election result in various states — leading to defeat in those too.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro alleges 'lot of fraud' in US election 2020

The US&nbsp;President-elect&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;has suffered a foot fracture and will probably have to wear a medical boot after he slipped while playing with one of his pet dogs, his team reported.

Biden and his love for his pets has been in the spotlight recently following the news of pet dogs returning to the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/the-white-house">White House</a>&nbsp;after the outgoing President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>'s four years of Presidency.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/brazilian-president-jair-bolsonaro-alleges-lot-of-fraud-in-us-election-2020-346316">Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro alleges 'lot of fraud' in US election 2020</a>

Upon slipping, the 78-year-old was taken to a doctor. His&nbsp;personal physician Kevin O'Connor had initially recommended an X-ray which had not revealed any&nbsp;obvious fracture. However, an additional CT scan was also recommended to the President-elect which showed "confirmed hairline (small) fractures... in the mid-foot".

His physician also added that Biden "will likely require a walking bot for several weeks". The statement sent fits of laughter among the Trump supporters who recalled the time when Trump had joked about Biden having to retire to a walking bot in future due to his 'old age'.

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However, the attitude of Trump supporters did not reflect in Trump's own behaviour, who took to Twitter to extend wishes to the President-elect.&nbsp;

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Get well soon! <a href="https://t.co/B0seiO84ld">https://t.co/B0seiO84ld</a>
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1333217873758654464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
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In a Twitter video of an American channel, Biden was spotted leaving his&nbsp;orthopedic's office in Delaware. Trump retweeted the tweet with the caption "Get well soon!".

Biden has two dogs. Champ has been living with the incoming President's family since 2008, and Major was fostered and then adopted by the Biden clan in 2018 — making him the first rescue dog in the White House.

The US President-elect Joe Biden has suffered a foot fracture and will probably have to wear a medical boot after he slipped while playing with one of his pet dogs, his team reported.

The US President-elect Joe Biden has suffered a foot fracture and will probably have to wear a medical boot after he slipped while playing with one of his pet dogs, his team reported. Biden and his love for his pets has been in the spotlight recently following the news of pet dogs returning to the White House after the outgoing President Donald Trump's four years of Presidency. Also read| Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro alleges 'lot of fraud' in US election 2020 Upon slipping, the 78-year-old was taken to a doctor. His personal physician Kevin O'Connor had initially recommended an X-ray which had not revealed any obvious fracture. However, an additional CT scan was also recommended to the President-elect which showed "confirmed hairline (small) fractures... in the mid-foot". His physician also added that Biden "will likely require a walking bot for several weeks". The statement sent fits of laughter among the Trump supporters who recalled the time when Trump had joked about Biden having to retire to a walking bot in future due to his 'old age'. × However, the attitude of Trump supporters did not reflect in Trump's own behaviour, who took to Twitter to extend wishes to the President-elect. Get well soon! https://t.co/B0seiO84ld — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 30, 2020 × In a Twitter video of an American channel, Biden was spotted leaving his orthopedic's office in Delaware. Trump retweeted the tweet with the caption "Get well soon!". Biden has two dogs. Champ has been living with the incoming President's family since 2008, and Major was fostered and then adopted by the Biden clan in 2018 — making him the first rescue dog in the White House.

Joe Biden fractures foot after slipping; Donald Trump extends wishes

Pennsylvania's highest court has dismissed another legal challenge to the US election by supporters of President Donald Trump by throwing out a lower court's order.

The said order -- the latest lawsuit filed by Republicans attempting to thwart president-elect Joe Biden's victory in the battleground state -- prevented the state from certifying dozens of contests on its November 3 election ballot.

The lawsuit had sought to invalidate mail-in ballots in the battleground state that Biden won by about 81,000 votes -- or to throw out all votes and allow the state's legislature to decide the winner.

The court dismissed both claims in a unanimous decision, calling the second one an "extraordinary proposition that the court disenfranchise all 6.9 million Pennsylvanians who voted in the general election."

The lawsuit argued that a Pennsylvania law from 2019 allowing universal mail-in voting was unconstitutional.

The judges said that their November 21 challenge to the law was filed too late, coming more than a year after it was enacted and with the election results "becoming seemingly apparent."

Pennsylvania officially certified Biden's victory there on November 24. The lawsuit had also sought to stop certification.

Saturday's decision follows a long line of similar ones, including a ruling the day before in which a federal appeals court flatly dismissed Trump's claim that the election was unfair and refused to freeze Biden's win in Pennsylvania.

Trump has refused to give up on his claims of fraud in the November 3 election despite his repeated court defeats, tweeting bizarre conspiracy theories and vowing to continue his legal fight.

On Thursday, he said for the first time that he would leave the White House if Biden is officially confirmed the winner by the Electoral College on December 14.

But on Friday he tweeted that "Biden can only enter the White House as president if he can prove that his ridiculous '80,000,000 votes' were not fraudulently or illegally obtained."

Biden, who is to be sworn in on January 20, won 306 votes in the Electoral College to Trump's 232.

The president-elect has said that Americans "won't stand" for attempts to derail the vote outcome.

Pennsylvania's highest court has dismissed another legal challenge to the US election by supporters of President Donald Trump by throwing out a lower court's order.

Pennsylvania's highest court has dismissed another legal challenge to the US election by supporters of President Donald Trump by throwing out a lower court's order. The said order -- the latest lawsuit filed by Republicans attempting to thwart president-elect Joe Biden's victory in the battleground state -- prevented the state from certifying dozens of contests on its November 3 election ballot. The lawsuit had sought to invalidate mail-in ballots in the battleground state that Biden won by about 81,000 votes -- or to throw out all votes and allow the state's legislature to decide the winner. The court dismissed both claims in a unanimous decision, calling the second one an "extraordinary proposition that the court disenfranchise all 6.9 million Pennsylvanians who voted in the general election." The lawsuit argued that a Pennsylvania law from 2019 allowing universal mail-in voting was unconstitutional. The judges said that their November 21 challenge to the law was filed too late, coming more than a year after it was enacted and with the election results "becoming seemingly apparent." Pennsylvania officially certified Biden's victory there on November 24. The lawsuit had also sought to stop certification. Saturday's decision follows a long line of similar ones, including a ruling the day before in which a federal appeals court flatly dismissed Trump's claim that the election was unfair and refused to freeze Biden's win in Pennsylvania. Trump has refused to give up on his claims of fraud in the November 3 election despite his repeated court defeats, tweeting bizarre conspiracy theories and vowing to continue his legal fight. On Thursday, he said for the first time that he would leave the White House if Biden is officially confirmed the winner by the Electoral College on December 14. But on Friday he tweeted that "Biden can only enter the White House as president if he can prove that his ridiculous '80,000,000 votes' were not fraudulently or illegally obtained." Biden, who is to be sworn in on January 20, won 306 votes in the Electoral College to Trump's 232. The president-elect has said that Americans "won't stand" for attempts to derail the vote outcome.

Trump loses another election court challenge; legal defeats pile up

The US Postal Service (USPS), Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and President Donald Trump have appealed a federal judge's ruling suspending service changes.

This despite the fact that the final deadlines for accepting ballots by mail for the November 3 election had passed. Joe Biden has been declared the president-elect by US media outlets.

The government late Friday said it was appealing US District Judge Emmet Sullivan's preliminary injunction orders issued in late September in a pair of legal challenges. Sullivan directed the USPS to take "extraordinary measures" to ensure that millions of ballots were delivered by mail and held numerous hearings on the status of ballots.

USPS general counsel Thomas Marshall said Saturday in a statement the agency would not comment on its appeals but said "it remains our view that none of the Election Mail lawsuits are justified by the facts or supported by the applicable law."

He said the agency "will continue to defend the integrity and credibility of our leadership and workforce, and the collective allegiance of our entire organization to our non-partisan service mission."

Sullivan also ordered twice-daily sweeps at USPS facilities serving states with extended ballot receipt deadlines.

At a hearing earlier this month, Sullivan said he would demand DeJoy answer questions about why the postal service failed to complete a court-ordered sweep for undelivered ballots. 
&nbsp;

The US Postal Service (USPS), Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and President Donald Trump have appealed a federal judge's ruling suspending service changes. This despite the fact that the final deadlines for accepting ballots by mail for the November 3 election had passed.

The US Postal Service (USPS), Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and President Donald Trump have appealed a federal judge's ruling suspending service changes. This despite the fact that the final deadlines for accepting ballots by mail for the November 3 election had passed. Joe Biden has been declared the president-elect by US media outlets. The government late Friday said it was appealing US District Judge Emmet Sullivan's preliminary injunction orders issued in late September in a pair of legal challenges. Sullivan directed the USPS to take "extraordinary measures" to ensure that millions of ballots were delivered by mail and held numerous hearings on the status of ballots. USPS general counsel Thomas Marshall said Saturday in a statement the agency would not comment on its appeals but said "it remains our view that none of the Election Mail lawsuits are justified by the facts or supported by the applicable law." He said the agency "will continue to defend the integrity and credibility of our leadership and workforce, and the collective allegiance of our entire organization to our non-partisan service mission." Sullivan also ordered twice-daily sweeps at USPS facilities serving states with extended ballot receipt deadlines. At a hearing earlier this month, Sullivan said he would demand DeJoy answer questions about why the postal service failed to complete a court-ordered sweep for undelivered ballots.

Trump admin appeals ruling that barred USPS changes before election

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Top 10 world news today: In the US, Pennsylvania's highest court has dismissed another legal challenge to the US election by supporters of President Donald Trump by throwing out a lower court's order.

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Top 10 world news today: Trump's new setback, blast in Afghanistan, and more

The Supreme Court on Monday is set to take up President Donald Trump`s unprecedented and contentious effort to exclude illegal immigrants from the population totals used to allocate U.S. House of Representatives districts to states. 
 
The challengers to Trump`s July directive include various states led by New York, cities, counties and immigrant rights groups. They have argued that the Republican president`s move could leave several million people uncounted and cause California, Texas and New Jersey to lose House seats, which are based on a state`s population count in the decennial census. 
 
The court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority including three justices appointed by Trump, is scheduled to hear an 80-minute oral argument by teleconference. 
 
Trump lost his bid for re-election on Nov. 3. This case focuses on one of several policy moves his administration is rushing to complete before Democratic President-elect Joe Biden takes office on Jan. 20. 
 
The census in mandated by the U.S. Constitution. The challengers argued that Trump is prohibited by the Constitution`s text from excluding illegal immigrants from the population count. The Constitution requires that the apportionment of House seats be based upon the "whole number of persons in each state." 
 
The challengers said Trump`s plan, undertaken as part of the government`s responsibility to administer the 2020 census, also violates a federal law called the Census Act that outlines how a census must be conducted. 
 
They said Trump`s plan would weaken the political power of states with larger numbers of illegal immigrants, including heavily Democratic California, by undercounting their true populations and depriving them of House seats. If California loses House districts, that likely would mean Democrats lose House seats, benefiting Trump`s fellow Republicans. 
 
There are an estimated 11 million immigrants living in the United States illegally. Until now, the government`s practice was to count all people regardless of their citizenship or immigration status. 
 
"That`s what everyone has always thought," said Dale Ho, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union, which represents immigrant groups in the case. 
 
Ho said he is optimistic the court`s conservatives, who often tout the importance of interpreting laws as written, would view this one as a "rather easy case." 
 
Trump`s lawyers argued in court papers that the president acted within his authority and that the challengers lacked the necessary legal standing to bring the case. Trump`s administration "has virtually unfettered discretion as to what data will be used in enumerating individual persons in each state for purposes of the decennial census and apportionment," Acting Solicitor General Jeff Wall wrote. 
 
The court is deciding the case on a expedited schedule, with a ruling due before the end of the year. That would make it difficult for the incoming Biden administration to revisit Trump`s plan if it is upheld. 
 
Trump`s hardline stance toward immigration has been a hallmark of his presidency. 
 
The Supreme Court last year ruled 5-4 against Trump`s effort to add a citizenship question to the census. Critics said the question was intended to frighten immigrants from taking part in the population count and artificially reduce population numbers in heavily Democratic areas, also to benefit Republicans. 
 
Conservative Chief Justice John Roberts joined the liberal justices in that ruling. But the addition of Trump`s third appointee Amy Coney Barrett to the court changes its dynamics, as seen in action by the justices on Wednesday in a case in which they backed Christian and Jewish houses of worship that challenged New York state`s latest restrictions in novel coronavirus hot spots. 
 
Roberts dissented along with the court`s three liberals but Barrett`s vote in favor of the religious groups proved decisive. 
 
LOWER COURTS BACK CHALLENGERS 
 
A three-judge panel in New York ruled against the administration in September in the current case and the justices agreed to take up the appeal on Oct. 16. Federal courts in California and Maryland have reached the same conclusion in other cases though one court in Washington ruled for Trump. 
 
By statute, the president is due to send Congress a report in early January with the population of each of the states and their entitled number of House districts. 
 
Once states are allocated their districts, they themselves draw the boundaries for the districts, which will be used first in the 2022 congressional elections. The number of House seats for each state also determines how many votes that state gets in the Electoral College, the system used to determine the winner of presidential elections. In a close election, one or two electoral votes could swing the outcome. 
 
The census itself does not gather data on a person`s citizenship or immigration status. Trump`s administration would base its numbers on data gathered elsewhere. The U.S. Census Bureau, a spokesman said, "will make public the methods used to provide state-level counts once we have them finalized." 
 
Thomas Wolf, a lawyer at New York University`s Brennan Center for Justice, said it is not yet clear if the administration will even be able to come up with usable numbers. 
 
"This is not the way a transparent constitutional democracy is supposed to be run," Wolf added. 
 
Ilya Somin, a professor at George Mason University`s Antonin Scalia Law School in Virginia who filed a brief opposing Trump, said although the challengers have a strong case, one wrinkle could be that some conservative justices embrace a broad view of presidential powers. 
 
"We can`t be too definitive about what the justices will do with it," Somin said.

The Supreme Court on Monday is set to take up President Donald Trump`s unprecedented and contentious effort to exclude illegal immigrants from the population totals used to allocate U.

The Supreme Court on Monday is set to take up President Donald Trump`s unprecedented and contentious effort to exclude illegal immigrants from the population totals used to allocate U.S. House of Representatives districts to states. The challengers to Trump`s July directive include various states led by New York, cities, counties and immigrant rights groups. They have argued that the Republican president`s move could leave several million people uncounted and cause California, Texas and New Jersey to lose House seats, which are based on a state`s population count in the decennial census. The court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority including three justices appointed by Trump, is scheduled to hear an 80-minute oral argument by teleconference. Trump lost his bid for re-election on Nov. 3. This case focuses on one of several policy moves his administration is rushing to complete before Democratic President-elect Joe Biden takes office on Jan. 20. The census in mandated by the U.S. Constitution. The challengers argued that Trump is prohibited by the Constitution`s text from excluding illegal immigrants from the population count. The Constitution requires that the apportionment of House seats be based upon the "whole number of persons in each state." The challengers said Trump`s plan, undertaken as part of the government`s responsibility to administer the 2020 census, also violates a federal law called the Census Act that outlines how a census must be conducted. They said Trump`s plan would weaken the political power of states with larger numbers of illegal immigrants, including heavily Democratic California, by undercounting their true populations and depriving them of House seats. If California loses House districts, that likely would mean Democrats lose House seats, benefiting Trump`s fellow Republicans. There are an estimated 11 million immigrants living in the United States illegally. Until now, the government`s practice was to count all people regardless of their citizenship or immigration status. "That`s what everyone has always thought," said Dale Ho, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union, which represents immigrant groups in the case. Ho said he is optimistic the court`s conservatives, who often tout the importance of interpreting laws as written, would view this one as a "rather easy case." Trump`s lawyers argued in court papers that the president acted within his authority and that the challengers lacked the necessary legal standing to bring the case. Trump`s administration "has virtually unfettered discretion as to what data will be used in enumerating individual persons in each state for purposes of the decennial census and apportionment," Acting Solicitor General Jeff Wall wrote. The court is deciding the case on a expedited schedule, with a ruling due before the end of the year. That would make it difficult for the incoming Biden administration to revisit Trump`s plan if it is upheld. Trump`s hardline stance toward immigration has been a hallmark of his presidency. The Supreme Court last year ruled 5-4 against Trump`s effort to add a citizenship question to the census. Critics said the question was intended to frighten immigrants from taking part in the population count and artificially reduce population numbers in heavily Democratic areas, also to benefit Republicans. Conservative Chief Justice John Roberts joined the liberal justices in that ruling. But the addition of Trump`s third appointee Amy Coney Barrett to the court changes its dynamics, as seen in action by the justices on Wednesday in a case in which they backed Christian and Jewish houses of worship that challenged New York state`s latest restrictions in novel coronavirus hot spots. Roberts dissented along with the court`s three liberals but Barrett`s vote in favor of the religious groups proved decisive. LOWER COURTS BACK CHALLENGERS A three-judge panel in New York ruled against the administration in September in the current case and the justices agreed to take up the appeal on Oct. 16. Federal courts in California and Maryland have reached the same conclusion in other cases though one court in Washington ruled for Trump. By statute, the president is due to send Congress a report in early January with the population of each of the states and their entitled number of House districts. Once states are allocated their districts, they themselves draw the boundaries for the districts, which will be used first in the 2022 congressional elections. The number of House seats for each state also determines how many votes that state gets in the Electoral College, the system used to determine the winner of presidential elections. In a close election, one or two electoral votes could swing the outcome. The census itself does not gather data on a person`s citizenship or immigration status. Trump`s administration would base its numbers on data gathered elsewhere. The U.S. Census Bureau, a spokesman said, "will make public the methods used to provide state-level counts once we have them finalized." Thomas Wolf, a lawyer at New York University`s Brennan Center for Justice, said it is not yet clear if the administration will even be able to come up with usable numbers. "This is not the way a transparent constitutional democracy is supposed to be run," Wolf added. Ilya Somin, a professor at George Mason University`s Antonin Scalia Law School in Virginia who filed a brief opposing Trump, said although the challengers have a strong case, one wrinkle could be that some conservative justices embrace a broad view of presidential powers. "We can`t be too definitive about what the justices will do with it," Somin said.

US Supreme Court weighs Trump bid to bar illegal immigrants from census totals

President Trump’s disastrous mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic probably cost him re-election. Yet it seems mind-boggling that he still won more votes than any incumbent president in American history despite his dereliction of responsibility at a time of a once-in-a-century health crisis and economic devastation.

Why are President-elect Joe Biden’s margins so thin in the states that clinched his victory? And why did the president’s down-ticket enablers flourish in the turbulent, plague-torn conditions they helped bring about?

Democrats, struggling to make sense of it all, are locked in yet another round of mutual recrimination: They were either too progressive for swing voters — too socialist or aggressive with ambitious policies like the Green New Deal — or not progressive enough to inspire potential Democratic voters to show up or cross over.

But they should understand that there was really no way to avoid disappointment. Three factors — the logic of partisan polarization, which inaccurate polling obscured; the strength of the juiced pre-Covid-19 economy; and the success of Mr. Trump’s denialist, open-everything-up nonresponse to the pandemic — mostly explain why Democrats didn’t fare better.

This shocking strategy worked for Republicans, even if it didn’t pan out for the president himself. Moreover, it laid a trap that Democrats walked into — something they should understand and adjust for, as best they can, as they look ahead.

How could a president responsible for one of the gravest failures of governance in American history nevertheless maintain such rock-solid support? Democracy’s throw-the-bums-out feedback mechanism gets gummed up when the electorate disagrees about the identity of the bums, what did and didn’t occur on their watch and who deserves what share of the credit or blame.

When party affiliation becomes a central source of meaning and self-definition, reality itself becomes contested and verifiable facts turn into hot-button controversies. Elections can’t render an authoritative verdict on the performance of incumbents when partisans in a closely divided electorate tell wildly inconsistent stories about one another and the world they share.

Mr. Trump has a knack for leveraging the animosities of polarized partisanship to cleave his supporters from sources of credible information and inflame them with vilifying lies. This time, it wasn’t enough to save his bacon, which suggests that polarization hasn’t &lt;em&gt;completely&lt;/em&gt; wrecked our democracy’s capacity for self-correction: Sweeping a medium-size city’s worth of dead Americans under the rug turned out to be too tall an order.

However, Mr. Trump’s relentless campaign to goose the economy by cutting taxes, running up enormous deficits and debt, and hectoring the Fed into not raising rates was working for millions of Americans. We tend to notice when we’re personally more prosperous than we were a few years before.

But the president’s catastrophic response to Covid-19 threw the economy into a tailspin. That is where it gets interesting — and Democrats get uncomfortable.

Mr. Trump abdicated responsibility, shifting the burden onto states and municipalities with busted budgets. He then waged a war of words against governors and mayors — especially Democrats — who refused to risk their citizens’ lives by allowing economic and social activity to resume.

He spurred his supporters to make light of the danger of infection, made the churlish refusal to wear masks into an emblem of emancipation from the despotism of experts and turned public health restrictions on businesses, schools and social gatherings into a tyrannical conspiracy to steal power by damaging the economy and his re-election prospects.

He succeeded in putting Democrats on the defensive about economic restrictions and school closures. As months passed and with no new relief coming from Washington, financially straitened Democratic states and cities had little choice but to ease restrictions on businesses just to keep the lights on. That seemed to concede the economic wisdom of the more permissive approach in majority-Republican states and fed into Mr. Trump’s false narrative of victory over the virus and a triumphant return to normalcy.

But Democrats weren’t destined to get quite as tangled in Mr. Trump’s trap as they did. They had no way to avoid it, but they could have been hurt less by it. They allowed Republicans to define the contrast between the parties’ approaches to the pandemic in terms of freedom versus exhausting, indefinite shutdowns.

Democrats needed to present a competing, compelling strategy to counter Republican messaging. Struggling workers and businesses never clearly heard exactly what they’d get if Democrats ran the show, and Democrats never came together to scream bloody murder that Republicans were refusing to give it to them. Democrats needed to underscore the depth of Republican failure by forcefully communicating what other countries had done to successfully control the virus. And they needed to promise to do the same through something like an Operation Warp Speed for testing and P.P.E. to get America safely back in business.

Instead, they whined that Mr. Trump’s negligence and incompetence were to blame for America’s economic woes and complained that Mitch McConnell wouldn’t even consider the House’s big relief bill. They weren’t wrong, but correctly assigning culpability did nothing to help working-class breadwinners who can’t bus tables, process chickens, sell smoothies or clean hotel rooms over Zoom.

The Republican message couldn’t have been clearer: Workers should be able to show up, clock in, earn a normal paycheck, pay the rent and feed their kids. Democrats were telling the same workers that we need to listen to science, reopening is premature, and the economy can’t be fully restored until we beat the virus. Correct! But how does that help when rent was due last week?

Make no mistake, it was unforgivably cruel of Republicans to force blue-collar and service workers to risk death for grocery money. Yet their disinformation campaign persuaded many millions of Americans that the risk was minimal and that Democrats were keeping their workplaces and schools closed, their customers and kids at home, and their wallets empty and cupboards bare for bogus reasons.

The president’s mendacious push to hastily reopen everything was less compelling to college-educated suburbanites, who tend to trust experts and can work from home, watch their kids and spare a laptop for online kindergarten. Mr. Trump lost the election mainly because he lost enough of these voters, including some moderate Republicans who otherwise voted straight Republican tickets.

Democrats need to rethink the idea that these voters would have put Democratic House and Senate candidates over the top if only Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were less radiantly socialist. They need to accept that they took hits on the economy by failing to escape the trap Republicans set by doggedly refusing to do anything about the uncontained contagion destroying it.

And they need to understand how Mr. Trump saved his party by weaponizing polarization. Conservatives needed a way not to get spun by the president’s destabilizing act of disloyalty, so they steadied themselves by reaffirming their loyalty down the remainder of the ballot. They were voting against a personal crisis of identity, not the Green New Deal.

Democrats might have done better had sunny polls and their own biased partisan perceptions not misled them into believing that backlash to indisputably damning Republican failure would deliver an easy Senate majority — but not much better. Until the mind-bending spell of polarization breaks, everything that matters will be fiercely disputed and even the most egregious failures will continue to go unpunished.

(Will Wilkinson is the vice president for research at the Niskanen Center.)

President Trump’s disastrous mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic probably cost him re-election. Yet it seems mind-boggling that he still won more votes than any incumbent president in American history despite his dereliction of responsibility at a time of a once-in-a-century health crisis and economic devastation.

President Trump’s disastrous mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic probably cost him re-election. Yet it seems mind-boggling that he still won more votes than any incumbent president in American history despite his dereliction of responsibility at a time of a once-in-a-century health crisis and economic devastation. Why are President-elect Joe Biden’s margins so thin in the states that clinched his victory? And why did the president’s down-ticket enablers flourish in the turbulent, plague-torn conditions they helped bring about? Democrats, struggling to make sense of it all, are locked in yet another round of mutual recrimination: They were either too progressive for swing voters — too socialist or aggressive with ambitious policies like the Green New Deal — or not progressive enough to inspire potential Democratic voters to show up or cross over. But they should understand that there was really no way to avoid disappointment. Three factors — the logic of partisan polarization, which inaccurate polling obscured; the strength of the juiced pre-Covid-19 economy; and the success of Mr. Trump’s denialist, open-everything-up nonresponse to the pandemic — mostly explain why Democrats didn’t fare better. This shocking strategy worked for Republicans, even if it didn’t pan out for the president himself. Moreover, it laid a trap that Democrats walked into — something they should understand and adjust for, as best they can, as they look ahead. How could a president responsible for one of the gravest failures of governance in American history nevertheless maintain such rock-solid support? Democracy’s throw-the-bums-out feedback mechanism gets gummed up when the electorate disagrees about the identity of the bums, what did and didn’t occur on their watch and who deserves what share of the credit or blame. When party affiliation becomes a central source of meaning and self-definition, reality itself becomes contested and verifiable facts turn into hot-button controversies. Elections can’t render an authoritative verdict on the performance of incumbents when partisans in a closely divided electorate tell wildly inconsistent stories about one another and the world they share. Mr. Trump has a knack for leveraging the animosities of polarized partisanship to cleave his supporters from sources of credible information and inflame them with vilifying lies. This time, it wasn’t enough to save his bacon, which suggests that polarization hasn’t completely wrecked our democracy’s capacity for self-correction: Sweeping a medium-size city’s worth of dead Americans under the rug turned out to be too tall an order. However, Mr. Trump’s relentless campaign to goose the economy by cutting taxes, running up enormous deficits and debt, and hectoring the Fed into not raising rates was working for millions of Americans. We tend to notice when we’re personally more prosperous than we were a few years before. But the president’s catastrophic response to Covid-19 threw the economy into a tailspin. That is where it gets interesting — and Democrats get uncomfortable. Mr. Trump abdicated responsibility, shifting the burden onto states and municipalities with busted budgets. He then waged a war of words against governors and mayors — especially Democrats — who refused to risk their citizens’ lives by allowing economic and social activity to resume. He spurred his supporters to make light of the danger of infection, made the churlish refusal to wear masks into an emblem of emancipation from the despotism of experts and turned public health restrictions on businesses, schools and social gatherings into a tyrannical conspiracy to steal power by damaging the economy and his re-election prospects. He succeeded in putting Democrats on the defensive about economic restrictions and school closures. As months passed and with no new relief coming from Washington, financially straitened Democratic states and cities had little choice but to ease restrictions on businesses just to keep the lights on. That seemed to concede the economic wisdom of the more permissive approach in majority-Republican states and fed into Mr. Trump’s false narrative of victory over the virus and a triumphant return to normalcy. But Democrats weren’t destined to get quite as tangled in Mr. Trump’s trap as they did. They had no way to avoid it, but they could have been hurt less by it. They allowed Republicans to define the contrast between the parties’ approaches to the pandemic in terms of freedom versus exhausting, indefinite shutdowns. Democrats needed to present a competing, compelling strategy to counter Republican messaging. Struggling workers and businesses never clearly heard exactly what they’d get if Democrats ran the show, and Democrats never came together to scream bloody murder that Republicans were refusing to give it to them. Democrats needed to underscore the depth of Republican failure by forcefully communicating what other countries had done to successfully control the virus. And they needed to promise to do the same through something like an Operation Warp Speed for testing and P.P.E. to get America safely back in business. Instead, they whined that Mr. Trump’s negligence and incompetence were to blame for America’s economic woes and complained that Mitch McConnell wouldn’t even consider the House’s big relief bill. They weren’t wrong, but correctly assigning culpability did nothing to help working-class breadwinners who can’t bus tables, process chickens, sell smoothies or clean hotel rooms over Zoom. The Republican message couldn’t have been clearer: Workers should be able to show up, clock in, earn a normal paycheck, pay the rent and feed their kids. Democrats were telling the same workers that we need to listen to science, reopening is premature, and the economy can’t be fully restored until we beat the virus. Correct! But how does that help when rent was due last week? Make no mistake, it was unforgivably cruel of Republicans to force blue-collar and service workers to risk death for grocery money. Yet their disinformation campaign persuaded many millions of Americans that the risk was minimal and that Democrats were keeping their workplaces and schools closed, their customers and kids at home, and their wallets empty and cupboards bare for bogus reasons. The president’s mendacious push to hastily reopen everything was less compelling to college-educated suburbanites, who tend to trust experts and can work from home, watch their kids and spare a laptop for online kindergarten. Mr. Trump lost the election mainly because he lost enough of these voters, including some moderate Republicans who otherwise voted straight Republican tickets. Democrats need to rethink the idea that these voters would have put Democratic House and Senate candidates over the top if only Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were less radiantly socialist. They need to accept that they took hits on the economy by failing to escape the trap Republicans set by doggedly refusing to do anything about the uncontained contagion destroying it. And they need to understand how Mr. Trump saved his party by weaponizing polarization. Conservatives needed a way not to get spun by the president’s destabilizing act of disloyalty, so they steadied themselves by reaffirming their loyalty down the remainder of the ballot. They were voting against a personal crisis of identity, not the Green New Deal. Democrats might have done better had sunny polls and their own biased partisan perceptions not misled them into believing that backlash to indisputably damning Republican failure would deliver an easy Senate majority — but not much better. Until the mind-bending spell of polarization breaks, everything that matters will be fiercely disputed and even the most egregious failures will continue to go unpunished. (Will Wilkinson is the vice president for research at the Niskanen Center.)

Why did so many Americans vote for Trump?

The telephone call would have been laugh-out-loud ridiculous if it had not been so serious. When Tina Barton picked up, she found someone from President Donald Trump’s campaign asking her to sign a letter raising doubts about the results of the election.

The election that Barton, as the Republican clerk of the small Michigan city of Rochester Hills, had helped oversee. The election that she knew to be fair and accurate because she had helped make it so. The election that she had publicly defended amid threats that made her upgrade her home security system.

“Do you know who you’re talking to right now?” she asked the campaign official.

Evidently not.

If the president hoped Republicans across the country would fall in line behind his false and farcical claims that the election was somehow rigged on a mammoth scale by a nefarious multinational conspiracy, he was in for a surprise. Republicans in Washington may have indulged Trump’s fantastical assertions, but at the state and local level, Republicans played a critical role in resisting the mounting pressure from their own party to overturn the vote after Trump fell behind Nov. 3.

The three weeks that followed tested American democracy and demonstrated that the two-century-old system is far more vulnerable to subversion than many had imagined, even though the incumbent president lost by 6 million votes nationwide. But in the end, the system stood firm against the most intense assault from an aggrieved president in the nation’s history because of a Republican city clerk in Michigan, a Republican secretary of state in Georgia, a Republican county supervisor in Arizona and Republican-appointed judges in Pennsylvania and elsewhere.

They refuted conspiracy theories, certified results, dismissed lawsuits and repudiated a president of their own party, leaving him to thunder about a supposed plot that would have had to include people who had voted for him, donated to him or even been appointed by him. The desperate effort to hang onto office over the will of the people effectively ended when his own director of the General Services Administration determined that Joe Biden is the president-elect and a judge Trump put on the bench chastised him for ludicrous litigation.

“Free, fair elections are the lifeblood of our democracy,” Judge Stephanos Bibas, appointed by Trump in 2017, wrote for a three-judge panel of the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia on Friday as it dismissed the latest of dozens of legal claims filed by Trump and his allies. “Charges of unfairness are serious. But calling an election unfair does not make it so. Charges require specific allegations and then proof. We have neither here.”

Unfounded as it is, the president’s campaign against the results may leave lasting scars. With much of the Republican establishment endorsing or staying silent on Trump’s claims, and polls indicating that tens of millions of Republicans believe the election was somehow rigged, faith in American democracy, the fundamental tenet of the social contract established by the framers, has eroded in a dangerous way. And Biden, the incoming president, now faces a country where many of his constituents consider him illegitimate.

Those who defied Trump despite their own partisan backgrounds remain bruised by the experience too, in some cases questioning the political system that they have spent years upholding. They may pay a price if their fellow Republicans see what they did as acts of disloyalty rather than conscience. But those who have spoken out expressed no regrets.

“I’ve got a pretty thick skin, but it’s hard not to feel shook by it all,” Barton reflected the other day. “We take our job so seriously that it’s devastating to us to have something like that happen. I cried every day for a week every time I thought about it. My biggest concern was, we’re already living in a time when so many people have so little confidence in the process, and to give them more reason not to trust the results was absolutely devastating to me.”

‘Numbers Don’t Lie’

The drama began within hours after the polls closed. The initial leads that Trump enjoyed in several battleground states began to dwindle as absentee and mail-in votes that favored Biden were slowly counted and added to the tallies released publicly. Trump portrayed the numbers as fraudulent and headed to court, filing lawsuits in multiple states.

In Arizona, where Trump allies complained that the use of Sharpie pens invalidated ballots because they bled through, Clint Hickman, chair of the Maricopa County board of supervisors and a Republican, sent an open letter with a Democratic colleague saying they were “concerned about the misinformation spreading about the integrity of our elections.”

Mark Brnovich, the state’s Republican attorney general, who is widely expected to run for governor in 2022, announced he would investigate the use of the Sharpies. A day later, he tweeted he was satisfied that the pens did not influence the election in any way.

Passions continued to rise. The Democratic secretary of state received threats to kill her family and pets and burn down her house. Hickman stepped up again, issuing another letter calling on Republicans to “dial back the rhetoric, rumors and false claims.”

Rusty Bowers, the Republican speaker of the state House of Representatives, likewise pushed back against the conspiracies and resisted an “enormous amount of pressure” for lawmakers to choose their own electors to support Trump. “I took an oath to support the Constitution of the United States and the constitution and laws of the state of Arizona,” he said.

In Georgia, Trump and his allies were blocked by Brad Raffensperger, the Republican secretary of state. A mild-mannered civil engineer, Raffensperger is a staunch conservative who won his office two years ago with an endorsement from Trump and a platform of Trumpian goals, including a promise to protect the voting system from illegal immigrants.

But he bristled at unfounded claims from Trump’s team and other Republicans, including Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, who called for his resignation. Rep. Doug Collins, a Republican who had just lost a challenge against Loeffler, took over Trump’s efforts in Georgia and accused Raffensperger’s office of setting rules that “seem to be changing as we go.” Raffensperger took to Facebook to push back, calling Collins a “liar.”

The dispute landed before Judge Steven Grimberg, who was nominated to the U.S. District Court by Trump and was a member of the Federalist Society, which has provided lists of conservatives from which the president has drawn his Supreme Court nominees.

But if the Trump camp believed it would find a sympathetic ear, it was disabused in the opening minutes of the hearing when the youthful judge seemed increasingly perturbed by the answers he received to his pointed questions. The suit “would require halting the certification results in a state election in which millions of people have voted,” the judge noted.

The next day, Raffensperger spurned Trump and certified Biden’s victory in Georgia. “Numbers don’t lie,” the secretary of state said. Gov. Brian Kemp, a Trump ally, then certified Georgia’s electors for Biden while twisting himself to say that the decision now “paves the way for the Trump campaign to pursue other legal options.”

In Pennsylvania, the legal efforts found no more traction. The week after the election, Trump and his allies lost seven cases in succession. By the next weekend, they ended up in federal court before Judge Matthew Brann, another Federalist Society member and conservative Republican appointed by President Barack Obama at the behest of a Republican senator.

Brann called the Trump team’s claim nothing more than “strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations” and refused to delay certification of the election. “In the United States of America, this cannot justify the disenfranchisement of a single voter, let alone all the voters of its sixth most populated state,” he wrote. Brann’s ruling was the one upheld Friday.

Mark Aronchick, a lawyer who represented the city of Philadelphia in several cases brought by the Trump campaign, said the past three weeks proved that the judicial system would not simply bend to the president’s will.

“This period of time, with all the things that the Trump campaign were throwing, I viewed as very much a stress test on what I will shout from the rooftops is the best legal system the world has ever seen, in terms of independence of the judiciary and the rule of law,” he said. “And at both the state and federal level, the system has come through with flying colors.”

‘The Real Cost Was in Voter Confidence’

Nowhere was the pressure more sustained than in Michigan, even though Biden’s margin of victory of 154,000 was greater there than in other contested states. At one point, two Republicans on the Wayne County elections board bowed to the president’s wishes and refused to certify the results, only to reverse themselves later that night.

Trump then summoned the Republican leaders of the state legislature, Mike Shirkey and Lee Chatfield, to the White House in a bid to get lawmakers to substitute their own slate of electors. The two men, both rumored to be interested in higher office, were hesitant to go, according to people familiar with their thinking, but felt that if a president called, they had no choice.

Chatfield, 32, a graduate of Liberty University, the Christian school in Virginia founded by the Rev. Jerry Falwell, had been a vocal supporter of the president, even warming up the crowd at a rally in Muskegon before Trump arrived a week before the election. Shirkey, 65, has not been so visible but had spoken at several rallies protesting coronavirus lockdown orders issued by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, including on the same day the FBI announced that it had foiled a right-wing plot to kidnap her.

But they rebuffed Trump nonetheless, issuing a statement shortly after leaving the White House affirming that they had seen no evidence that would change the outcome of the election and would let the winner of the popular vote stand.

But the Trump team seized on any routine mistakes or far-fetched allegations to advance the cause. In Rochester Hills, in Oakland County, votes in one precinct were posted in the absentee tally and then also posted in the in-person total without first being removed from the absentee count.

The mistake was quickly caught and rectified before the results became official, but Ronna McDaniel, chair of the Republican National Committee, claimed that “we found 2,000 ballots that had been given to Democrats, that were Republican ballots, due to a clerical error.”

Barton, who has served as the Rochester Hills clerk for eight years, learned about McDaniel’s comment from a reporter and promptly took to social media to rebut the “categorically false” assertion. “As a Republican, I am disturbed that this is intentionally being mischaracterized to undermine the election process,” Barton said in a video she posted to Twitter, which was viewed more than 1.2 million times.

Barton, 49, is another graduate from Liberty University, where she earned a master’s degree after graduating from Great Lakes University in Michigan. She posts Bible verses online and has said that “God orders my steps.” She served for eight years as the deputy clerk in the Detroit suburb of Bloomfield Township before being appointed to the Rochester Hills post and has earned respect from both Republicans and Democrats.

She was initially reluctant to give McDaniel’s claim any validity by responding but decided she had no choice. “In relaying the truth, I was going to be opening myself up to criticism, and if I ever thought about running for office again, that would be impacted,” she said. “But the real cost was in voter confidence. I told my deputy that all these things have to be put aside, and I have to speak the truth.”

Soon she found herself the target of profane and threatening emails and telephone calls, and while she took comfort that she was safe because her husband is a sheriff’s deputy, they nonetheless upgraded the security system at home. “It’s just devastating to see what the response has been to our profession and how we have come, as a country, to think that violence and threats is the answer,” she said.

As an election official, she spent much of the last four years talking with other officials about cyberthreats to American democracy. Never, she said, did she realize that the real threat this year would come from within.

“But now we have to go back and rebuild voter trust and let people realize that our elections are not rigged,” she said. “We have to step back and say, 'How do we restore public confidence in a system that is completely torn down?'”

The telephone call would have been laugh-out-loud ridiculous if it had not been so serious. When Tina Barton picked up, she found someone from President Donald Trump’s campaign asking her to sign a letter raising doubts about the results of the election.

The telephone call would have been laugh-out-loud ridiculous if it had not been so serious. When Tina Barton picked up, she found someone from President Donald Trump’s campaign asking her to sign a letter raising doubts about the results of the election. The election that Barton, as the Republican clerk of the small Michigan city of Rochester Hills, had helped oversee. The election that she knew to be fair and accurate because she had helped make it so. The election that she had publicly defended amid threats that made her upgrade her home security system. “Do you know who you’re talking to right now?” she asked the campaign official. Evidently not. If the president hoped Republicans across the country would fall in line behind his false and farcical claims that the election was somehow rigged on a mammoth scale by a nefarious multinational conspiracy, he was in for a surprise. Republicans in Washington may have indulged Trump’s fantastical assertions, but at the state and local level, Republicans played a critical role in resisting the mounting pressure from their own party to overturn the vote after Trump fell behind Nov. 3. The three weeks that followed tested American democracy and demonstrated that the two-century-old system is far more vulnerable to subversion than many had imagined, even though the incumbent president lost by 6 million votes nationwide. But in the end, the system stood firm against the most intense assault from an aggrieved president in the nation’s history because of a Republican city clerk in Michigan, a Republican secretary of state in Georgia, a Republican county supervisor in Arizona and Republican-appointed judges in Pennsylvania and elsewhere. They refuted conspiracy theories, certified results, dismissed lawsuits and repudiated a president of their own party, leaving him to thunder about a supposed plot that would have had to include people who had voted for him, donated to him or even been appointed by him. The desperate effort to hang onto office over the will of the people effectively ended when his own director of the General Services Administration determined that Joe Biden is the president-elect and a judge Trump put on the bench chastised him for ludicrous litigation. “Free, fair elections are the lifeblood of our democracy,” Judge Stephanos Bibas, appointed by Trump in 2017, wrote for a three-judge panel of the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia on Friday as it dismissed the latest of dozens of legal claims filed by Trump and his allies. “Charges of unfairness are serious. But calling an election unfair does not make it so. Charges require specific allegations and then proof. We have neither here.” Unfounded as it is, the president’s campaign against the results may leave lasting scars. With much of the Republican establishment endorsing or staying silent on Trump’s claims, and polls indicating that tens of millions of Republicans believe the election was somehow rigged, faith in American democracy, the fundamental tenet of the social contract established by the framers, has eroded in a dangerous way. And Biden, the incoming president, now faces a country where many of his constituents consider him illegitimate. Those who defied Trump despite their own partisan backgrounds remain bruised by the experience too, in some cases questioning the political system that they have spent years upholding. They may pay a price if their fellow Republicans see what they did as acts of disloyalty rather than conscience. But those who have spoken out expressed no regrets. “I’ve got a pretty thick skin, but it’s hard not to feel shook by it all,” Barton reflected the other day. “We take our job so seriously that it’s devastating to us to have something like that happen. I cried every day for a week every time I thought about it. My biggest concern was, we’re already living in a time when so many people have so little confidence in the process, and to give them more reason not to trust the results was absolutely devastating to me.” ‘Numbers Don’t Lie’ The drama began within hours after the polls closed. The initial leads that Trump enjoyed in several battleground states began to dwindle as absentee and mail-in votes that favored Biden were slowly counted and added to the tallies released publicly. Trump portrayed the numbers as fraudulent and headed to court, filing lawsuits in multiple states. In Arizona, where Trump allies complained that the use of Sharpie pens invalidated ballots because they bled through, Clint Hickman, chair of the Maricopa County board of supervisors and a Republican, sent an open letter with a Democratic colleague saying they were “concerned about the misinformation spreading about the integrity of our elections.” Mark Brnovich, the state’s Republican attorney general, who is widely expected to run for governor in 2022, announced he would investigate the use of the Sharpies. A day later, he tweeted he was satisfied that the pens did not influence the election in any way. Passions continued to rise. The Democratic secretary of state received threats to kill her family and pets and burn down her house. Hickman stepped up again, issuing another letter calling on Republicans to “dial back the rhetoric, rumors and false claims.” Rusty Bowers, the Republican speaker of the state House of Representatives, likewise pushed back against the conspiracies and resisted an “enormous amount of pressure” for lawmakers to choose their own electors to support Trump. “I took an oath to support the Constitution of the United States and the constitution and laws of the state of Arizona,” he said. In Georgia, Trump and his allies were blocked by Brad Raffensperger, the Republican secretary of state. A mild-mannered civil engineer, Raffensperger is a staunch conservative who won his office two years ago with an endorsement from Trump and a platform of Trumpian goals, including a promise to protect the voting system from illegal immigrants. But he bristled at unfounded claims from Trump’s team and other Republicans, including Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, who called for his resignation. Rep. Doug Collins, a Republican who had just lost a challenge against Loeffler, took over Trump’s efforts in Georgia and accused Raffensperger’s office of setting rules that “seem to be changing as we go.” Raffensperger took to Facebook to push back, calling Collins a “liar.” The dispute landed before Judge Steven Grimberg, who was nominated to the U.S. District Court by Trump and was a member of the Federalist Society, which has provided lists of conservatives from which the president has drawn his Supreme Court nominees. But if the Trump camp believed it would find a sympathetic ear, it was disabused in the opening minutes of the hearing when the youthful judge seemed increasingly perturbed by the answers he received to his pointed questions. The suit “would require halting the certification results in a state election in which millions of people have voted,” the judge noted. The next day, Raffensperger spurned Trump and certified Biden’s victory in Georgia. “Numbers don’t lie,” the secretary of state said. Gov. Brian Kemp, a Trump ally, then certified Georgia’s electors for Biden while twisting himself to say that the decision now “paves the way for the Trump campaign to pursue other legal options.” In Pennsylvania, the legal efforts found no more traction. The week after the election, Trump and his allies lost seven cases in succession. By the next weekend, they ended up in federal court before Judge Matthew Brann, another Federalist Society member and conservative Republican appointed by President Barack Obama at the behest of a Republican senator. Brann called the Trump team’s claim nothing more than “strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations” and refused to delay certification of the election. “In the United States of America, this cannot justify the disenfranchisement of a single voter, let alone all the voters of its sixth most populated state,” he wrote. Brann’s ruling was the one upheld Friday. Mark Aronchick, a lawyer who represented the city of Philadelphia in several cases brought by the Trump campaign, said the past three weeks proved that the judicial system would not simply bend to the president’s will. “This period of time, with all the things that the Trump campaign were throwing, I viewed as very much a stress test on what I will shout from the rooftops is the best legal system the world has ever seen, in terms of independence of the judiciary and the rule of law,” he said. “And at both the state and federal level, the system has come through with flying colors.” ‘The Real Cost Was in Voter Confidence’ Nowhere was the pressure more sustained than in Michigan, even though Biden’s margin of victory of 154,000 was greater there than in other contested states. At one point, two Republicans on the Wayne County elections board bowed to the president’s wishes and refused to certify the results, only to reverse themselves later that night. Trump then summoned the Republican leaders of the state legislature, Mike Shirkey and Lee Chatfield, to the White House in a bid to get lawmakers to substitute their own slate of electors. The two men, both rumored to be interested in higher office, were hesitant to go, according to people familiar with their thinking, but felt that if a president called, they had no choice. Chatfield, 32, a graduate of Liberty University, the Christian school in Virginia founded by the Rev. Jerry Falwell, had been a vocal supporter of the president, even warming up the crowd at a rally in Muskegon before Trump arrived a week before the election. Shirkey, 65, has not been so visible but had spoken at several rallies protesting coronavirus lockdown orders issued by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, including on the same day the FBI announced that it had foiled a right-wing plot to kidnap her. But they rebuffed Trump nonetheless, issuing a statement shortly after leaving the White House affirming that they had seen no evidence that would change the outcome of the election and would let the winner of the popular vote stand. But the Trump team seized on any routine mistakes or far-fetched allegations to advance the cause. In Rochester Hills, in Oakland County, votes in one precinct were posted in the absentee tally and then also posted in the in-person total without first being removed from the absentee count. The mistake was quickly caught and rectified before the results became official, but Ronna McDaniel, chair of the Republican National Committee, claimed that “we found 2,000 ballots that had been given to Democrats, that were Republican ballots, due to a clerical error.” Barton, who has served as the Rochester Hills clerk for eight years, learned about McDaniel’s comment from a reporter and promptly took to social media to rebut the “categorically false” assertion. “As a Republican, I am disturbed that this is intentionally being mischaracterized to undermine the election process,” Barton said in a video she posted to Twitter, which was viewed more than 1.2 million times. Barton, 49, is another graduate from Liberty University, where she earned a master’s degree after graduating from Great Lakes University in Michigan. She posts Bible verses online and has said that “God orders my steps.” She served for eight years as the deputy clerk in the Detroit suburb of Bloomfield Township before being appointed to the Rochester Hills post and has earned respect from both Republicans and Democrats. She was initially reluctant to give McDaniel’s claim any validity by responding but decided she had no choice. “In relaying the truth, I was going to be opening myself up to criticism, and if I ever thought about running for office again, that would be impacted,” she said. “But the real cost was in voter confidence. I told my deputy that all these things have to be put aside, and I have to speak the truth.” Soon she found herself the target of profane and threatening emails and telephone calls, and while she took comfort that she was safe because her husband is a sheriff’s deputy, they nonetheless upgraded the security system at home. “It’s just devastating to see what the response has been to our profession and how we have come, as a country, to think that violence and threats is the answer,” she said. As an election official, she spent much of the last four years talking with other officials about cyberthreats to American democracy. Never, she said, did she realize that the real threat this year would come from within. “But now we have to go back and rebuild voter trust and let people realize that our elections are not rigged,” she said. “We have to step back and say, 'How do we restore public confidence in a system that is completely torn down?'”

In key states, Republicans were critical in resisting Trump’s election narrative

The outgoing US President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;once again snapped at a journalist when he was asked question about his defeat in the recently-conducted&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/us-election">US elections</a>.

When the Reuters White House correspondent Jeff Mason repeatedly asked Trump if he would be willing to concede his defeat against the&nbsp;President-elect&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>, Trump lost his cool yet again and reacted with "Don't ever talk to me that way".

Similar to many of the past incidents during his four years of Presidency, this time, too, Trump decided to ignore a reporter asking 'tough' questions and said, "I'm the president of the United States. Don't ever talk to the president that way."

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-court-denies-trumps-pennsylvania-election-challenge-345967" hreflang="en">US court denies Trump's Pennsylvania election challenge</a>

After having to demand more 'respect', he continued to explain how he has not lost the elections and it was only due to alleged rigged elections and voter fraud that led to Biden's historic win.

This press conference was the first one since his defeat in the elections, where Trump allowed the media to ask questions. However, he did not guarantee an answer (with calmness) to every reporter — much like his previous pressers.&nbsp;

The Thanksgiving press conference is one where the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/the-white-house">White House</a>&nbsp;invites reporters to observe, and sometimes also interact/ask questions from the US President.&nbsp;

For the first time, he was also trolled for his choice of table. Trump was photographed sitting at a small table which is usually used only to be photographed with other leaders or guests present at the White House while the president signs important documents. <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-and-his-tiny-desk-diaperdon-trends-on-twitter-345984">Twitter was quick to react with several memes about Trump and his 'little table'.</a>

Trump's snap comment is not limited to the reporters, it seems. He also took a snap decision of demanding a vote recount in Wisconsin which backfired at him as the vote re-count ended with Joe Biden gaining a lead with a much larger margin than the original count. However, the Trump campaign may fire another legal challenge over the state count.

The outgoing US President Donald Trump once again snapped at a journalist when he was asked question about his defeat in the recently-conducted US elections. When the Reuters White House correspondent Jeff Mason repeatedly asked Trump if he would be willing to concede his defeat against the President-elect Joe Biden, Trump lost his cool yet again and reacted with "Don't ever talk to me that way".

The outgoing US President Donald Trump once again snapped at a journalist when he was asked question about his defeat in the recently-conducted US elections. When the Reuters White House correspondent Jeff Mason repeatedly asked Trump if he would be willing to concede his defeat against the President-elect Joe Biden, Trump lost his cool yet again and reacted with "Don't ever talk to me that way". Similar to many of the past incidents during his four years of Presidency, this time, too, Trump decided to ignore a reporter asking 'tough' questions and said, "I'm the president of the United States. Don't ever talk to the president that way." Also read| US court denies Trump's Pennsylvania election challenge After having to demand more 'respect', he continued to explain how he has not lost the elections and it was only due to alleged rigged elections and voter fraud that led to Biden's historic win. This press conference was the first one since his defeat in the elections, where Trump allowed the media to ask questions. However, he did not guarantee an answer (with calmness) to every reporter — much like his previous pressers. The Thanksgiving press conference is one where the White House invites reporters to observe, and sometimes also interact/ask questions from the US President. For the first time, he was also trolled for his choice of table. Trump was photographed sitting at a small table which is usually used only to be photographed with other leaders or guests present at the White House while the president signs important documents. Twitter was quick to react with several memes about Trump and his 'little table'. Trump's snap comment is not limited to the reporters, it seems. He also took a snap decision of demanding a vote recount in Wisconsin which backfired at him as the vote re-count ended with Joe Biden gaining a lead with a much larger margin than the original count. However, the Trump campaign may fire another legal challenge over the state count.

'Don't ever talk to the president that way': Donald Trump snaps at reporter

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>'s presidency is coming to an end, but it seems like his antics will seem to continue and entertain the Twitterati till the end of his days in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/the-white-house">White House</a>.

During the Thanksgiving press conference, the outgoing US President was pictured sitting behind a tiny desk —which was much smaller than the usual Presidential desk commonly used by the US Presidents.

As soon as the internet caught hold of the glimpse, people were happy to point out the similarities between Trump's '#TinyDesk' and the other miniature tables, such as one found in a doll's house.

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I'm loving these trump <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TinyDesk?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TinyDesk</a> memes🤣🤣🤣 <a href="https://t.co/dGZAetuhap">pic.twitter.com/dGZAetuhap</a>
— Leona Lioness💙 (@LeonaLioness6) <a href="https://twitter.com/LeonaLioness6/status/1332282947408449537?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Just in time for Christmas!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DiaperDon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DiaperDon</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/tinydesk?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#tinydesk</a> 
 
(Who ever did this is my hero) <a href="https://t.co/6nlHoJtdIw">pic.twitter.com/6nlHoJtdIw</a>
— BLM 🇺🇲 (@pattyburnett92) <a href="https://twitter.com/pattyburnett92/status/1332359819362250757?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2020</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

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I really thought this was photoshopped. Someone on his team really hates him.😂😂😂 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/tinydesk?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#tinydesk</a> <a href="https://t.co/B391BurTQI">pic.twitter.com/B391BurTQI</a>
— Who dis? (@MizNikki) <a href="https://twitter.com/MizNikki/status/1332368285539708929?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2020</a></blockquote>
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I fixed it, and at least this guy can read. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/tinydesk?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#tinydesk</a> <a href="https://t.co/D3IHtdDvkP">pic.twitter.com/D3IHtdDvkP</a>
— Lorenzo The Cat (@LorenzoTheCat) <a href="https://twitter.com/LorenzoTheCat/status/1332313419534512129?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2020</a></blockquote>
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I see no difference <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/tinydesk?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#tinydesk</a> <a href="https://t.co/6mRpPaIzaB">pic.twitter.com/6mRpPaIzaB</a>
— morgan mayes (@Morgan_Mayes) <a href="https://twitter.com/Morgan_Mayes/status/1332194272511201280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2020</a></blockquote>
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NPR tiny desk concerts have gotten weird<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/tinydesk?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#tinydesk</a> <a href="https://t.co/2PWoHnybJW">pic.twitter.com/2PWoHnybJW</a>
— BlackLivesMatter (@F_In_Comments) <a href="https://twitter.com/F_In_Comments/status/1332171481028169728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2020</a></blockquote>
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If this were a “spot the differences” game, two stand out. 1: The kid isn’t wearing a diaper. 2: The kid actually as something to write with. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DiaperDon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DiaperDon</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/tinydesk?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#tinydesk</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TrumpTantrum?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TrumpTantrum</a> <a href="https://t.co/zFGmM8gcVV">pic.twitter.com/zFGmM8gcVV</a>
— Masshole on Safari ⚖️⚾️ (@Darth_JJ) <a href="https://twitter.com/Darth_JJ/status/1332323680374976515?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2020</a></blockquote>
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However, some people also tried explaining Trump's choice of the 'tiny desk' explaining the table is specially designed and used for signing documents. However, while Trump sat at the table alone, usually the President — and a few other world leaders who have been pictured with similar-sized desks — use this table specifically for signing documents and is pictured with other leaders, and never alone.

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C'mon y'all. It's not unusual for the President to sign things at a <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TinyDesk?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TinyDesk</a>. What's funny is no crowd. The small desk is there to make room for invited guests. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TrumpTantrum?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TrumpTantrum</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ByeDon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ByeDon</a> <a href="https://t.co/GKxZ9tJFKW">pic.twitter.com/GKxZ9tJFKW</a>
— Pierre Delecto’s Cow (@DelectoCow) <a href="https://twitter.com/DelectoCow/status/1332310095200473090?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Thanksgiving&nbsp;press conference was the first one since his defeat in the elections, where Trump allowed the media to ask questions. However, he did not guarantee an answer (with calmness) to every reporter — much like his previous pressers.

The presser will also be remembered for Donald Trump's demand for 'respect' by a local reporter who repeatedly kept asking the outgoing President if he would be willing to concede to the President-elect Joe Biden. Trump got annoyed by the repeated questions and before moving on to another question, snapped back at the reporter and said, "I'm the president of the United States. Don't ever talk to the president that way."

This press conference is usually held in the White House every year to observe the holiday with the president, and sometimes, the President(s) also answer questions of the invited reporters.&nbsp;

Donald Trump's presidency is coming to an end, but it seems like his antics will seem to continue and entertain the Twitterati till the end of his days in the White House.

Donald Trump's presidency is coming to an end, but it seems like his antics will seem to continue and entertain the Twitterati till the end of his days in the White House. During the Thanksgiving press conference, the outgoing US President was pictured sitting behind a tiny desk —which was much smaller than the usual Presidential desk commonly used by the US Presidents. As soon as the internet caught hold of the glimpse, people were happy to point out the similarities between Trump's '#TinyDesk' and the other miniature tables, such as one found in a doll's house. I'm loving these trump #TinyDesk memes🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/dGZAetuhap — Leona Lioness💙 (@LeonaLioness6) November 27, 2020 × Just in time for Christmas!#DiaperDon #tinydesk (Who ever did this is my hero) pic.twitter.com/6nlHoJtdIw — BLM 🇺🇲 (@pattyburnett92) November 27, 2020 × I really thought this was photoshopped. Someone on his team really hates him.😂😂😂 #tinydesk pic.twitter.com/B391BurTQI — Who dis? (@MizNikki) November 27, 2020 × I fixed it, and at least this guy can read. #tinydesk pic.twitter.com/D3IHtdDvkP — Lorenzo The Cat (@LorenzoTheCat) November 27, 2020 × I see no difference #tinydesk pic.twitter.com/6mRpPaIzaB — morgan mayes (@Morgan_Mayes) November 27, 2020 × NPR tiny desk concerts have gotten weird#tinydesk pic.twitter.com/2PWoHnybJW — BlackLivesMatter (@F_In_Comments) November 27, 2020 × If this were a “spot the differences” game, two stand out. 1: The kid isn’t wearing a diaper. 2: The kid actually as something to write with. #DiaperDon #tinydesk #TrumpTantrum pic.twitter.com/zFGmM8gcVV — Masshole on Safari ⚖️⚾️ (@Darth_JJ) November 27, 2020 × However, some people also tried explaining Trump's choice of the 'tiny desk' explaining the table is specially designed and used for signing documents. However, while Trump sat at the table alone, usually the President — and a few other world leaders who have been pictured with similar-sized desks — use this table specifically for signing documents and is pictured with other leaders, and never alone. C'mon y'all. It's not unusual for the President to sign things at a #TinyDesk. What's funny is no crowd. The small desk is there to make room for invited guests. #TrumpTantrum #ByeDon pic.twitter.com/GKxZ9tJFKW — Pierre Delecto’s Cow (@DelectoCow) November 27, 2020 × Thanksgiving press conference was the first one since his defeat in the elections, where Trump allowed the media to ask questions. However, he did not guarantee an answer (with calmness) to every reporter — much like his previous pressers. The presser will also be remembered for Donald Trump's demand for 'respect' by a local reporter who repeatedly kept asking the outgoing President if he would be willing to concede to the President-elect Joe Biden. Trump got annoyed by the repeated questions and before moving on to another question, snapped back at the reporter and said, "I'm the president of the United States. Don't ever talk to the president that way." This press conference is usually held in the White House every year to observe the holiday with the president, and sometimes, the President(s) also answer questions of the invited reporters.

Donald Trump and his tiny desk; #DiaperDon trends on Twitter

Donald Trump's decision to have a recount in Wisconsin's largest county backfired on him as it ended Friday with Democratic President-elect Joe Biden gaining votes.

President-elect Joe Biden’s lead increased by 132 votes after county election officials recounted over 450,000 votes. Biden, a Democrat, won the state by nearly 20,600 votes, and his margin in Milwaukee and Dane counties was about 2-to-1.

Trump paid to have a recount in both those counties, which have large numbers of Democrat voters. As of Friday morning, Trump had gained 68 votes over Biden in Dane County.

Overall, Biden won the November 3 US presidential election with 306 Electoral College votes - many more than the 270 needed for victory - to Trump's 232. Biden also leads by more than six million in the popular vote tally.

After the recount ended, Milwaukee County Clerk George Christenson said: "The recount demonstrates what we already know: that elections in Milwaukee County are fair, transparent, accurate and secure."

The Trump campaign is still expected to mount a legal challenge to the overall result in Wisconsin, but time is running out. The state is due to certify its presidential result on Tuesday.&nbsp;

The Wisconsin Voters Alliance, a conservative group, has already filed a lawsuit against election officials, seeking to block certification of the results. It echoes many of the claims Trump is expected to make.

Trump’s campaign has already failed elsewhere in court without proof of widespread fraud, which experts widely agree doesn’t exist. Trump legal challenges have failed in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania.

Donald Trump's decision to have a recount in Wisconsin's largest county backfired on him as it ended Friday with Democratic President-elect Joe Biden gaining votes.

Donald Trump's decision to have a recount in Wisconsin's largest county backfired on him as it ended Friday with Democratic President-elect Joe Biden gaining votes. President-elect Joe Biden’s lead increased by 132 votes after county election officials recounted over 450,000 votes. Biden, a Democrat, won the state by nearly 20,600 votes, and his margin in Milwaukee and Dane counties was about 2-to-1. Trump paid to have a recount in both those counties, which have large numbers of Democrat voters. As of Friday morning, Trump had gained 68 votes over Biden in Dane County. Overall, Biden won the November 3 US presidential election with 306 Electoral College votes - many more than the 270 needed for victory - to Trump's 232. Biden also leads by more than six million in the popular vote tally. After the recount ended, Milwaukee County Clerk George Christenson said: "The recount demonstrates what we already know: that elections in Milwaukee County are fair, transparent, accurate and secure." The Trump campaign is still expected to mount a legal challenge to the overall result in Wisconsin, but time is running out. The state is due to certify its presidential result on Tuesday. The Wisconsin Voters Alliance, a conservative group, has already filed a lawsuit against election officials, seeking to block certification of the results. It echoes many of the claims Trump is expected to make. Trump’s campaign has already failed elsewhere in court without proof of widespread fraud, which experts widely agree doesn’t exist. Trump legal challenges have failed in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania.

Wisconsin county vote recount demanded by Trump gives Biden a boost

Donald Trump had told his voters that if he loses, he'll be so angry that he'll never speak to them again. So, what will Trump do after leaving the White House? Reports say he may go back to the voters, and run for office again!

Gravitas: What will Trump do after leaving office?

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/wisconsin-county-vote-recount-demanded-by-trump-gives-biden-a-boost-345980">Wisconsin county vote recount demanded by Trump gives Biden a boost</a>

Donald Trump's decision to have a recount in Wisconsin's largest county backfired on him as it ended Friday with Democratic President-elect Joe Biden gaining votes | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/wisconsin-county-vote-recount-demanded-by-trump-gives-biden-a-boost-345980">READ MORE</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/dont-ever-talk-to-the-president-that-way-donald-trump-snaps-at-reporter-345979">'Don't ever talk to the president that way': Donald Trump snaps at reporter</a>

Donald Trump once again snapped at a journalist when he was asked question about his defeat in the recently-conducted US elections | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/dont-ever-talk-to-the-president-that-way-donald-trump-snaps-at-reporter-345979">READ MORE</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-court-denies-trumps-pennsylvania-election-challenge-345967">US court denies Trump's Pennsylvania election challenge</a>

A federal appeals court on Friday rejected an attempt by US President Donald Trump's campaign to block President-elect Joe Biden from being declared the winner of Pennsylvania | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-court-denies-trumps-pennsylvania-election-challenge-345967">READ MORE</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/rockets-target-eritrea-as-ethiopia-leader-resists-calls-for-dialogue-345982">Rockets target Eritrea as Ethiopia leader resists calls for dialogue</a>

Eritrea's capital came under fire from Ethiopia's breakaway Tigray region Friday, raising fears that Ethiopia's internal conflict could spread as leader Abiy Ahmed resisted calls for dialogue | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/rockets-target-eritrea-as-ethiopia-leader-resists-calls-for-dialogue-345982">READ MORE</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/video-images-of-police-beating-black-man-are-shameful-says-macron-345970">Video images of police beating Black man are 'shameful', says Macron</a>

French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that images of a Black man being beaten up by Paris police were "shameful" for France | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/video-images-of-police-beating-black-man-are-shameful-says-macron-345970">READ MORE</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-sanctions-chinese-russian-firms-that-supported-iran-missile-programme-345969">US sanctions Chinese, Russian firms that supported Iran missile programme</a>

The US has announced economic sanctions on Chinese and Russian companies that it said had supported the development of Iran's missile programme | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-sanctions-chinese-russian-firms-that-supported-iran-missile-programme-345969">READ MORE</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uzbekistan-to-repatriate-more-citizens-from-crowded-syrian-camps-345976">Uzbekistan to repatriate more citizens from crowded Syrian camps</a>

Uzbekistan plans to repatriate another group of its citizens, mostly women and children, from Syria where they are staying at crowded camps with other families of Islamic State fighters, an Uzbek government source told Reuters on Friday | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uzbekistan-to-repatriate-more-citizens-from-crowded-syrian-camps-345976">READ MORE</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/german-troops-suspected-of-running-anti-semitic-chat-group-report-says-345973">German troops suspected of running anti-Semitic chat group, report says</a>

Several German soldiers have been suspected of organising a chat group relating to anti-Semitism, right-wing extremism and pornography | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/german-troops-suspected-of-running-anti-semitic-chat-group-report-says-345973">READ MORE</a>

Wisconsin county vote recount demanded by Trump gives Biden a boost Donald Trump's decision to have a recount in Wisconsin's largest county backfired on him as 

Wisconsin county vote recount demanded by Trump gives Biden a boost Donald Trump's decision to have a recount in Wisconsin's largest county backfired on him as it ended Friday with Democratic President-elect Joe Biden gaining votes | READ MORE 'Don't ever talk to the president that way': Donald Trump snaps at reporter Donald Trump once again snapped at a journalist when he was asked question about his defeat in the recently-conducted US elections | READ MORE US court denies Trump's Pennsylvania election challenge A federal appeals court on Friday rejected an attempt by US President Donald Trump's campaign to block President-elect Joe Biden from being declared the winner of Pennsylvania | READ MORE Rockets target Eritrea as Ethiopia leader resists calls for dialogue Eritrea's capital came under fire from Ethiopia's breakaway Tigray region Friday, raising fears that Ethiopia's internal conflict could spread as leader Abiy Ahmed resisted calls for dialogue | READ MORE Video images of police beating Black man are 'shameful', says Macron French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that images of a Black man being beaten up by Paris police were "shameful" for France | READ MORE US sanctions Chinese, Russian firms that supported Iran missile programme The US has announced economic sanctions on Chinese and Russian companies that it said had supported the development of Iran's missile programme | READ MORE Uzbekistan to repatriate more citizens from crowded Syrian camps Uzbekistan plans to repatriate another group of its citizens, mostly women and children, from Syria where they are staying at crowded camps with other families of Islamic State fighters, an Uzbek government source told Reuters on Friday | READ MORE German troops suspected of running anti-Semitic chat group, report says Several German soldiers have been suspected of organising a chat group relating to anti-Semitism, right-wing extremism and pornography | READ MORE

Morning news brief: Setbacks for Trump, his reprimand to media and more

US&nbsp;President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald&nbsp;Trump</a>&nbsp;said on Thursday he will leave the White House if the Electoral College votes for President-elect <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>, the closest he has come to conceding the November&nbsp;3 election, even as he repeated unfounded claims of massive voter fraud.

Speaking to reporters on the Thanksgiving holiday, Republican&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;said if Democrat Biden - who is due to be sworn in on January&nbsp;20 - is formally declared the winner by the Electoral College, he will depart the White House.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-says-hell-leave-if-biden-wins-electoral-college-vote-345673" hreflang="en">Trump says he'll leave if Biden wins Electoral College vote</a>

Asked if he would leave the White House if the Electoral College votes for Biden,&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;said: "Certainly I will. Certainly I will. And you know that."

Trump&nbsp;has so far refused to fully acknowledge his defeat, though earlier this week - with mounting pressure from his own Republican ranks - he agreed to let Biden's transition process officially proceed.

Frenzied efforts by&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;and his aides to overturn results in key states, either by lawsuits or by pressuring state legislators, have failed, and he is running out of options.

Showing that he intends to stay in the political fray until the end of his term,&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;said on Thursday he would travel on Dec. 5 to Georgia, a once solidly Republican state he lost narrowly to Biden, to campaign for two Republican US&nbsp;Senate candidates.

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However, according to a report by Washington Post, in private groups and telephone discussions, Trump has been talking about a completely extraordinary next act: another presidential run in 2024.

Donald Trump won 70 million votes in the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/us-election">US election</a>&nbsp;2020, which is more than what he won in 2016 and&nbsp;more than any incumbent president has won in American history.&nbsp;There's a large number of Americans who still believe in him and his story of election fraud.

In a gesture to the truth that he is bound to leave office in January, the president is genuinely considering life past the White House, advising counselors that he needs to stay an inescapable power in governmental issues and the media — maybe by running for the White House once more.&nbsp;

Trump has told friends he could report a 2024 mission before the finish of this current year, which would quickly set up a possible rematch with President-elect Joe Biden.&nbsp;

Trump additionally has been investigating approaches to bring in cash for moderately little work, for example, giving paid talks to corporate gatherings or offering passes to assemblies. Furthermore, he may attempt to compose a score-settling diary of his time as president and show up on TV, in a paid or unpaid limit.&nbsp;

In spite of the fact that there has likewise been extensive babble among Trump's partners about his beginning his very own media organization, numerous near the president said they accept that choice is more uncertain, to a limited extent since it would be a burdensome endeavor without ensured achievement. These guides, similar to some others met for this story, talked on the state of namelessness to truly examine delicate themes.&nbsp;

There is likewise tension on Trump to adapt his post-administration considering his own obligation and legitimate difficulties. He has installments due throughout the following four years of more than $400 million in credits and could acquire considerable legitimate charges identified with various examinations and claims.&nbsp;

Trump will "attempt to stay a political and media power," said Christopher Ruddy, a long-lasting companion who has been in contact with the president. "He has all these current organizations. He'll have new connections."&nbsp;

Whatever stage he chooses to utilize, Trump intends to look for retribution against those he accepts have double-crossed him — a gathering that incorporates Fox News Channel, which Trump had since quite a while ago adulated for the slavish inclusion on a portion of its projects yet now tries to rebuff.&nbsp;

Trump has railed secretly about the official discussion directed by Fox's Chris Wallace, the way that the organization was the primary significant news organization to call Arizona for Biden and that one of Fox's journalists affirmed the Atlantic's detailing that Trump had called military assistance individuals "suckers" and "washouts."&nbsp;

"He is truly furious with Fox," said Ruddy, who runs Newsmax, a traditionalist media organization whose link channel the president has advanced as a Fox elective.&nbsp;

After Biden's initiation, Trump is probably going to withdraw first to Florida, where he travels in the colder time of year at his Mar-a-Lago Club, counsels said. While in office, he changed his citizen enrollment from New York to Palm Beach, Fla. Individuals who have examined plans with Trump said he is probably going to promptly get more associated with his organizations where income has plunged.&nbsp;

Trump's daughter&nbsp;Ivanka, child in-law Jared Kushner and other grown-up youngsters have been centered more around their own fates than the president's, despite the fact that their professional alternatives and individual brands are inseparably attached to him, as indicated by a senior organization official who has spoken with relatives.&nbsp;

Indeed, even as Trump and a portion of his lawyers keep on spreading dubious schemes and case he is the legitimate champ of the political race, his political circle has been rising lately to discussing how Trump's post-administration will come to fruition — and how a man fixated on being viewed as a victor would attempt to disinfect the odor of being a political decision failure.&nbsp;

One counsel who as of late talked with the president said that Trump revealed to him he intended to report another mission in three weeks and that he needed to act rapidly to attempt to freeze the huge field of forthcoming 2024 Republican official competitors. That gathering incorporates, in any event, three individuals who have served in the organization: Vice President Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and previous US&nbsp;diplomat to the United Nations Nikki Haley.&nbsp;

In any case, different counselors advised that, as is frequently the situation with the ping-ponging president, Trump's perspectives on the issue are continually advancing and he has made no last assurance.

&nbsp;

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he will leave the White House if the Electoral College votes for President-elect Joe Biden, the closest he has come to conceding the November 3 election, even as he repeated unfounded claims of massive voter fraud.

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he will leave the White House if the Electoral College votes for President-elect Joe Biden, the closest he has come to conceding the November 3 election, even as he repeated unfounded claims of massive voter fraud. Speaking to reporters on the Thanksgiving holiday, Republican Trump said if Democrat Biden - who is due to be sworn in on January 20 - is formally declared the winner by the Electoral College, he will depart the White House. Also read: Trump says he'll leave if Biden wins Electoral College vote Asked if he would leave the White House if the Electoral College votes for Biden, Trump said: "Certainly I will. Certainly I will. And you know that." Trump has so far refused to fully acknowledge his defeat, though earlier this week - with mounting pressure from his own Republican ranks - he agreed to let Biden's transition process officially proceed. Frenzied efforts by Trump and his aides to overturn results in key states, either by lawsuits or by pressuring state legislators, have failed, and he is running out of options. Showing that he intends to stay in the political fray until the end of his term, Trump said on Thursday he would travel on Dec. 5 to Georgia, a once solidly Republican state he lost narrowly to Biden, to campaign for two Republican US Senate candidates. × However, according to a report by Washington Post, in private groups and telephone discussions, Trump has been talking about a completely extraordinary next act: another presidential run in 2024. Donald Trump won 70 million votes in the US election 2020, which is more than what he won in 2016 and more than any incumbent president has won in American history. There's a large number of Americans who still believe in him and his story of election fraud. In a gesture to the truth that he is bound to leave office in January, the president is genuinely considering life past the White House, advising counselors that he needs to stay an inescapable power in governmental issues and the media — maybe by running for the White House once more. Trump has told friends he could report a 2024 mission before the finish of this current year, which would quickly set up a possible rematch with President-elect Joe Biden. Trump additionally has been investigating approaches to bring in cash for moderately little work, for example, giving paid talks to corporate gatherings or offering passes to assemblies. Furthermore, he may attempt to compose a score-settling diary of his time as president and show up on TV, in a paid or unpaid limit. In spite of the fact that there has likewise been extensive babble among Trump's partners about his beginning his very own media organization, numerous near the president said they accept that choice is more uncertain, to a limited extent since it would be a burdensome endeavor without ensured achievement. These guides, similar to some others met for this story, talked on the state of namelessness to truly examine delicate themes. There is likewise tension on Trump to adapt his post-administration considering his own obligation and legitimate difficulties. He has installments due throughout the following four years of more than $400 million in credits and could acquire considerable legitimate charges identified with various examinations and claims. Trump will "attempt to stay a political and media power," said Christopher Ruddy, a long-lasting companion who has been in contact with the president. "He has all these current organizations. He'll have new connections." Whatever stage he chooses to utilize, Trump intends to look for retribution against those he accepts have double-crossed him — a gathering that incorporates Fox News Channel, which Trump had since quite a while ago adulated for the slavish inclusion on a portion of its projects yet now tries to rebuff. Trump has railed secretly about the official discussion directed by Fox's Chris Wallace, the way that the organization was the primary significant news organization to call Arizona for Biden and that one of Fox's journalists affirmed the Atlantic's detailing that Trump had called military assistance individuals "suckers" and "washouts." "He is truly furious with Fox," said Ruddy, who runs Newsmax, a traditionalist media organization whose link channel the president has advanced as a Fox elective. After Biden's initiation, Trump is probably going to withdraw first to Florida, where he travels in the colder time of year at his Mar-a-Lago Club, counsels said. While in office, he changed his citizen enrollment from New York to Palm Beach, Fla. Individuals who have examined plans with Trump said he is probably going to promptly get more associated with his organizations where income has plunged. Trump's daughter Ivanka, child in-law Jared Kushner and other grown-up youngsters have been centered more around their own fates than the president's, despite the fact that their professional alternatives and individual brands are inseparably attached to him, as indicated by a senior organization official who has spoken with relatives. Indeed, even as Trump and a portion of his lawyers keep on spreading dubious schemes and case he is the legitimate champ of the political race, his political circle has been rising lately to discussing how Trump's post-administration will come to fruition — and how a man fixated on being viewed as a victor would attempt to disinfect the odor of being a political decision failure. One counsel who as of late talked with the president said that Trump revealed to him he intended to report another mission in three weeks and that he needed to act rapidly to attempt to freeze the huge field of forthcoming 2024 Republican official competitors. That gathering incorporates, in any event, three individuals who have served in the organization: Vice President Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and previous US diplomat to the United Nations Nikki Haley. In any case, different counselors advised that, as is frequently the situation with the ping-ponging president, Trump's perspectives on the issue are continually advancing and he has made no last assurance.

Donald Trump secretly plotting potential 2024 presidential run

As the drama surrounding US elections ebbs and flows and as the democratic ‘blue wave’ has not materialized, pundits and sober commentators are rightly pointing out that there will be governance dysfunction in the United States. This would, as the pundits assert, lead to a legislative hiatus and pause where the only major room for manoeuvre for Joseph Biden, if and when he becomes president, will be in foreign policy. Given this, should the world heave a sigh of relief? Will American power ‘remake’ the world again? And can Biden grow America’s influence?

Fundamentally, the wellsprings of American leadership of the world were predicated on a combination of its military might (hard power), its adherence to and export of capitalism (political economy) and values that it espoused and embedded, albeit sporadically in its foreign policy (human rights).&nbsp;

Admittedly, this is a neat troika where there have been departures from the ‘norm’s and variations on this theme but, in the main, these are what constituted the grist and mill of American foreign policy, earning the country influence, wide and deep latitude in the process.&nbsp;

Complementing this rubric of foreign policy was an international system and structure that, until the closing decade of the 20th century was more or less stable.

But as the 20th century gave way to the 21st, there were world disorders, the sources of which could be traced to both within and without America. It was perhaps in the domain of economics, or more accurately political economy, where the post-war bargain of ‘embedded liberalism’ gave way to unabashed globalism, that the impact was most severe.&nbsp;

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/we-hope-lesson-has-been-learnt-says-iran-on-nuclear-deal-with-usa-341410">We hope 'lesson' has been learnt, says Iran on nuclear deal with USA</a> &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 
 
Unadulterated globalism which some associate with market fundamentalism, and where there was a trade-off between efficiency and equity, in favour of the former, bred inequalities and inequities not only within and in the United States but also outside of it.&nbsp;

It was these conditions plus the effects of a proselytizing foreign policy, which under the neocons meant wars, that Trump was born. But Trump was a figure that represented or reflected angst with the existing order of political economy.

This angst called Trumpism called for a changing of the economic order and the political consensus that underpinned it. The implications and consequences were felt in the domains of foreign policy as America under Trump sought to disrupt and remake international relations in the image of Trumpism.&nbsp;

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions-blogs/the-people-versus-donald-trump-341373">The people versus Donald Trump</a> 
 
In the meanwhile, the world was also changing – especially in its political makeup. The ‘democratic waves’ that reached an apogee in the 1970s dissipated into a ‘democratic recession’. Complemented by a quasi American retreat from international relations, the tone of international politics became more adversarial. &nbsp;

There was also the rise of China which while did not seek to upend world order and not export its model but certainly was and is seeking to widen its arc of influence.

There was and is more to these developments and trends but the ones delineated here constitute the major ones. So, amidst this change and churn, can America lead again? And what would leading mean?

No easy answers lend themselves here. But for America to lead again, the country first needs balance and equipoise within followed by a consensus of what constitutes its interests and ideals. If the focus would be on a narrow range or narrowly defined interests, then the obvious consequence would be a quasi retreat from international politics.&nbsp;

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This would be the best outcome if, to repeat, interests are defined narrowly. But, if it is ideals, then obviously America needs to re-engage with the world albeit in a different idiom than it did in the past, primarily because the world out there is a different one.&nbsp;

But, this whole hog re-engagement would carry domestic prices and with Trumpism still a potent force in the United States(made more salient with the prospect of Trump himself foraying into the media), it will not only have diminishing returns but also probably lead to more polarization. How then should America craft its foreign policy under Biden?

By synthesizing ideals with interests is the answer. Or, in other words, create a foreign policy paradigm that integrates realism with idealism which may be called realist idealism.&nbsp;

This could constitute the golden mean that the Biden presidency should aim for. Among its core components should be a review and revision of political economy that must occupy the middle ground, so to speak.&nbsp;

Any gyration to either extreme would not only be a disaster in the making but also be as ephemeral as anything- a prospect that would lead to both world disorders and the possible end of an era.

(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do&nbsp;not represent the views of&nbsp;WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse&nbsp;the views of the writer)

As the drama surrounding US elections ebbs and flows and as the democratic ‘blue wave’ has not materialized, pundits and sober commentators are rightly pointing out that there will be governance dysfunction in the United States.

As the drama surrounding US elections ebbs and flows and as the democratic ‘blue wave’ has not materialized, pundits and sober commentators are rightly pointing out that there will be governance dysfunction in the United States. This would, as the pundits assert, lead to a legislative hiatus and pause where the only major room for manoeuvre for Joseph Biden, if and when he becomes president, will be in foreign policy. Given this, should the world heave a sigh of relief? Will American power ‘remake’ the world again? And can Biden grow America’s influence? Fundamentally, the wellsprings of American leadership of the world were predicated on a combination of its military might (hard power), its adherence to and export of capitalism (political economy) and values that it espoused and embedded, albeit sporadically in its foreign policy (human rights). Admittedly, this is a neat troika where there have been departures from the ‘norm’s and variations on this theme but, in the main, these are what constituted the grist and mill of American foreign policy, earning the country influence, wide and deep latitude in the process. Complementing this rubric of foreign policy was an international system and structure that, until the closing decade of the 20th century was more or less stable. But as the 20th century gave way to the 21st, there were world disorders, the sources of which could be traced to both within and without America. It was perhaps in the domain of economics, or more accurately political economy, where the post-war bargain of ‘embedded liberalism’ gave way to unabashed globalism, that the impact was most severe. Also Read | We hope 'lesson' has been learnt, says Iran on nuclear deal with USA Unadulterated globalism which some associate with market fundamentalism, and where there was a trade-off between efficiency and equity, in favour of the former, bred inequalities and inequities not only within and in the United States but also outside of it. It was these conditions plus the effects of a proselytizing foreign policy, which under the neocons meant wars, that Trump was born. But Trump was a figure that represented or reflected angst with the existing order of political economy. This angst called Trumpism called for a changing of the economic order and the political consensus that underpinned it. The implications and consequences were felt in the domains of foreign policy as America under Trump sought to disrupt and remake international relations in the image of Trumpism. Also Read | The people versus Donald Trump In the meanwhile, the world was also changing – especially in its political makeup. The ‘democratic waves’ that reached an apogee in the 1970s dissipated into a ‘democratic recession’. Complemented by a quasi American retreat from international relations, the tone of international politics became more adversarial. There was also the rise of China which while did not seek to upend world order and not export its model but certainly was and is seeking to widen its arc of influence. There was and is more to these developments and trends but the ones delineated here constitute the major ones. So, amidst this change and churn, can America lead again? And what would leading mean? No easy answers lend themselves here. But for America to lead again, the country first needs balance and equipoise within followed by a consensus of what constitutes its interests and ideals. If the focus would be on a narrow range or narrowly defined interests, then the obvious consequence would be a quasi retreat from international politics. × This would be the best outcome if, to repeat, interests are defined narrowly. But, if it is ideals, then obviously America needs to re-engage with the world albeit in a different idiom than it did in the past, primarily because the world out there is a different one. But, this whole hog re-engagement would carry domestic prices and with Trumpism still a potent force in the United States(made more salient with the prospect of Trump himself foraying into the media), it will not only have diminishing returns but also probably lead to more polarization. How then should America craft its foreign policy under Biden? By synthesizing ideals with interests is the answer. Or, in other words, create a foreign policy paradigm that integrates realism with idealism which may be called realist idealism. This could constitute the golden mean that the Biden presidency should aim for. Among its core components should be a review and revision of political economy that must occupy the middle ground, so to speak. Any gyration to either extreme would not only be a disaster in the making but also be as ephemeral as anything- a prospect that would lead to both world disorders and the possible end of an era. (Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer)

In a changing world, what should a Biden foreign policy look like?

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