President Donald Trump extended his attempts to overturn the election results on Saturday by pressurizing the Governor of Georgia to implement a special session of the legislature to change the outcome of the election. During his rally for two GOP Senate candidates, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, the president complained about his own grievances while criticizing Republican leaders who did not reiterate his baseless claims of widespread voter fraud.
This showed that Trump plans to continue pushing his dubious claims and conspiracy theories during his presidency's remaining days, paying no heed to the coronavirus pandemic. The president's claims raise serious questions regarding America's democracy, but CNN's Maeve Reston notes that he appears to be more focused on nursing his own grudges rather than focusing on the interests of Republicans and the nation.
Trump visited Valdosta to mobilize voters to support Perdue and Loeffler in next month's Senate runoffs that will determine control of the US Senate. The president's claims of voter fraud in Georgia have raised concerns among many GOP leaders who believe they have encouraged many Republican supporters to stay home.
Saxby Chambliss, a Republican, accused Trump of not doing enough to address his supporters who aren't sure whether or not they should vote on Jan 5. Chambliss represented Georgia for over 20 years in the House, as well as the Senate, until 2015.
"It was mixed message," Chambliss said during an interview with NPR's Debbie Elliott on Weekend Edition. Chambliss noted that Trump complained more about his election than he should have, and he should have focused more on encouraging his supporters to vote on Jan. 5.
Chambliss pointed out that the weight of the Senate is in the balance, and the impending election is critically important for the future of America. He said the president's repeated attempts to undermine faith in the voting process could backfire on the Republican party.
Coming to the defense of Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger last month, Chambliss had said he had not heard anything about widespread voter fraud in the state. He told CNN that he has heard of individual instances, noting that one of his family members' absentee ballot wasn't counted, but said it would be.