Although Donald Trump has said previously that the only way Joe Biden will win is if the election is rigged, and refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power, conservative lawyers are brushing off his remarks suggesting he will not hand over control of government to his opponent should he lose his re-election bid. They assure there are safeguards in place that will enable a proper transition regardless of the president's willingness to leave the office.
Trump's reckless remarks raising concerns regarding a peaceful transition show lack of confidence in the democratic system, several Republican constitutional and election lawyers told The Hill. They assured that Americans do not need to worry if the president refuses to leave office after an election loss, noting that he will no longer be able to control the executive branch and will effectively be removed for trespassing if he attempts to stick around.
The Electoral College votes and then those are sent to Congress and they declare a winner, who then becomes the president on Jan. 20, elections lawyer Mark Braden, who has spent 10 years as chief counsel for the Republican National Committee explained. Given that the new president is the commander in chief, the executive branch works for him, he added.
If they have to carry Trump out in a chair, they will, Braden said. He went on to explain that if Congress announces Biden as the winner after reviewing the electoral votes, then it doesn't matter what Trump thinks or does, because of government will be run by Biden. When asked whether or not he will commit to a peaceful transition of power if he loses the election, Trump responded saying he would "see what happens."
Trump made baseless claims about the Democrats in a bid to steal the election from his rival by expanding access to mail ballots during the coronavirus pandemic. President confidently claimed that there wouldn't be a need for a transition of power, provided the election is fair.
Trump later said he would accept a Supreme Court ruling on the winner of the presidential election if it comes to that. In a bid to explain Trump's remarks, the White House said that he will accept the results of a “free and fair” election, although it remains to be seen whether or not Trump will view a bad outcome for him as fair.
Trump has said in the past that they want to ensure that the election is honest, noting that he isn't sure that it can be, though due to unsolicited ballots. Democrats view this as a blatant threat by the president to nullify the election results by taking power as a strongman.