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FAKE NEWS, PUSHED NARRATIVE
Trump's refusal to concede is legally irrelevant, but it could affect U.S. for years
At weekend rally in Washington, supporters say they'll only accept Trump's defeat if he concedes
In Trump they trust.
Several supporters of the U.S. president say there's just one way they will accept his loss and move on: they'll need to hear him admit defeat.
That's one takeaway from conversations with some of the thousands of Donald Trump fans who came to Washington for protests this past weekend.
They listen to him — and not much else.
They don't trust the media that have projected a clear Joe Biden win. They ignore U.S. security officials who say the election was fair. And they fume at Republicans in several state governments who insist it was above-board.
Only one man could make the difference, they say.
A New Jersey delivery driver who came down for the protests said a word from Trump would change everything.
Wearing a red Trump cap, waving a blue Trump flag and dressed in a QAnon-themed Trump T-shirt while standing in front of Trump's Washington hotel, the 23-year-old said he would follow the president's lead.
"If he concedes, if he decides that it is true, and they are telling the truth and Joe Biden won, we will accept it," Isaac Mooney said.
"We will accept it. We will be peaceful. I can't say everyone [would accept it] because there's always a few in the crowd. But the majority of us trust God, we love God. If God does not give us this election, we will still trust him."
Don't hold your breath.
Trump shows no sign of ever admitting he lost this election fairly. The closest he came was a tweet Sunday that suggested Biden won through treachery — and after some media interpreted that as a grudging concession, Trump pulled it back with other tweets like: "I concede NOTHING! We have a long way to go. This was a RIGGED ELECTION!"
To be clear, Trump's words are legally irrelevant to the outcome. His presidency ends on Jan. 20.
Concessions: Legally unnecessary, democratically indispensable
It would require a shocking and implausible string of developments to reverse the result — first a revolt from no less than three state legislatures, then the approval of courts and finally the acquiescence of the U.S. Congress.
Yet the president's behaviour is relevant as a real-time example of the role concessions play in a democracy.
Trump's non-admission of defeat could have a slow-burning effect for years — it's inflaming anger on his own side and further eroding the chance of future co-operation between political parties in Washington.
Republican rage is laid bare in one poll that finds that 70 per cent of party supporters doubt this election was free and fair.
That resentment rippled through Saturday's rally.
The event featured thousands of mostly peaceful Trump supporters. However, certain far-right extremist groups were present. Some flashed white-power signs and there were scuffles with far-left protesters, including some locals who berated the tourists in the Trump caps.
A number of Trump fans vented their anger at erstwhile ally Fox News.
While the network has staunchly defended Trump throughout his presidency, and still has several hosts insisting he hasn't lost, it's not enough — the president's most ardent fans are stewing over its official call of a Biden win.
Fox News these days is part-conspiracy theory, part conspiracy-debunking.
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https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/trump-concession-supporters-1.5803081
https://archive.is/4fmzS