Last Updated on November 3, 2020
Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden’s campaign has announced that the former-Vice President will “address the nation” and claim the mantle of “new leader” – even if the results are disputed or litigated – as long as the media calls the election for him.
Both the Trump campaign and the Biden campaign have geared up for court battles in the aftermath of Election Day citing the uncertainty of mail-in ballots and deadlines for receiving them given the COVID scare.
Saying that the Biden campaign will use “their own data” and “understanding,” Biden campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon informed the media about the campaign’s intentions.
“We’re not really concerned about what Donald Trump says,” O’Malley Dillon told reporters Monday. “We’re going to use our data, our understanding of where this is headed, and make sure that the vice president is addressing the American people.”
The Progressive publication Axios reported that if elected Biden will declare that he is leading the county even before he is inaugurated, usurping the rightful authority of the Trump presidency in his remaining days in office.
If news organizations declare Joe Biden the mathematical president-elect, he plans to address the nation as its new leader, even if President Trump continues to fight in court, advisers tell Axios. https://t.co/ZBcKMOymz4
— Axios (@axios) November 3, 2020
In 2000, Al Gore initiated litigation in the face of his loss to George W. Bush in Florida. Bush, even as litigation was pending and hanging chads were being examined, declared victory in that contested election. This put Gore on the defensive.
The Biden campaign, apparently learning from that mis-posture, would declare victory even as the circumstances are dramatically different. His campaign has inferred it Biden will begin forming his government and looking presidential, even though his frail appearance sees most Americans looking over his shoulder at Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), his running mate.
Biden’s schedule for Tuesday indicates his intent. He “will address the nation on Election Night in Wilmington, Delaware.”
Many have speculated about Biden’s health. His verbal infirmity and his taking to sunglasses has some medical professionals wondering if he has experienced a stroke.
To that end, the move by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), to form a commission to execute consensus on the health of the president and his fitness for office under the 25th Amendment now has a completely different meaning.
