‘Throwing a temper tantrum’: Trump rages as he clings to the White House

Nick Whigham
·News Editor
·4-min read

“Rage, rage against the dying of the light,” poet Dylan Thomas wrote in one of his most famous works.

He was talking about old age, but 74-year-old US president Donald Trump has taken a similar approach to losing the presidency.

As he continues to go on late night Twitter rants, firing off conspiracy theories and false claims of election rigging, it is clear he has no plans to go gently out of the White House.

According to a lengthy report by CNN, in his moments of deepest denial, Trump has told some advisers that he will refuse to leave the White House when Joe Biden is inaugurated on January 20.

Trump sits in the oval Office as the final days of his presidency tick by. Source: Getty
Trump sits in the oval Office as the final days of his presidency tick by. Source: Getty

Those close to him say Trump was slowly coming to terms with the reality of his election defeat last month, but has since dug himself deeper into a position of defiance.

“He's throwing a f***ing temper tantrum,” an adviser told the network. “He's going to leave. He's just lashing out.”

But the same report painted a picture of two remaining Trump supporters feeding the president misinformation and egging him on, leading him to actually believe debunked claims about widespread voting irregularities.

Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis were singled out as leading Trump further down the rabbit hole.

“He's been fed so much misinformation that I think he actually thinks this thing was stolen from him,” a Trump adviser told CNN of the President.

While at times embarrassing, both lawyers are being paid handsomely for their mounting legal failures on behalf of the president.

Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis pictured speaking at a press conference.
Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis have been enriching themselves through the failed litigation attempts. Source: Getty

Earlier this month Reuters reported that Ellis has been paid north of US$168,000 ($221,000) by the Trump campaign in the past two months and Giuliani has sought as much as US$20,000 ($26,000) per day, The New York Times reported.

Trump voters grapple with Biden's win

For weeks, President Donald Trump has been on a mission to convince his loyal base that his victory was stolen and the contest was rigged. Polls show he’s had considerable success.

But now that the Electoral College has formalised Joe Biden’s win and Republican officials, including Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, are finally acknowledging Biden as president-elect, many Trump voters across the country seem to be doing the same.

Speaking to the Associated Press, Robert Reed says he will always believe the 2020 election was stolen from President Donald Trump. The retired police officer-turned-construction worker believes fraud marred the vote, no matter how many courts rejected that claim.

People gather in support of President Donald Trump as his followers believe the election result was unfair. Source: Getty
People gather in support of President Donald Trump as many of his followers believe the election result was unfair. Source: Getty

Nonetheless, the ardent Trump supporter from the suburbs of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was ready to move on.

“I think it’s pretty much over,” Reed said of Trump’s ongoing quest to overturn the results of the election. “I trust the Electoral College.”

Interviews with voters, along with fresh surveys of Republicans, suggest their unfounded doubts about the integrity of the vote remain. But there is far less consensus on what should be done about it and whether to carry that resentment forward.

For some, like Reed, the Electoral College vote was the clear end of a process. Others have vowed to continue to protest with demonstrations like the one that turned violent in Washington, DC, over the weekend.

While some said they hoped GOP leaders would press for more investigations to put the doubts Trump sowed to rest.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in mid November found roughly 68 percent of Republicans said they had concerns the 2020 presidential election was rigged.

with AP

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