“Hillary, get on with your life and give it another try in three years!” This is how Donald Trump advised the failed Democratic candidate for president in 2017, but it seems he has been unable to heed the same advice.
“SUCH GREAT NEWS,” Trump tweeted on Monday about a potential coronavirus vaccine – having so far refused to acknowledge his defeat or give a concession speech. In a loss unlike that of former Republican (or Democratic) presidents, Trump is focusing his efforts on blocking a speedy transition and making unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud – but his detractors are responding by using his words against him. “Yes! And you’re fired!” people responded to the tweet.
If Trump is refusing to accept the will of the people, it’s not because he hasn’t been repeatedly forced to see it with his own eyes: in fact, voters have been celebrating all weekend – right where the president had no chance to look away.
As Trump received the news while playing golf at his club in Virginia on Saturday, people lined up in the street to gloat, give him the finger, and wave Biden-Harris flags in view of his motorcade.
Someone also drove around Washington DC and the interstate with a huge “loser” (a favourite Trump epithet for his opponents) banner with Trump’s face on it, and many on social media told him “you’re fired” – his signature catchphrase from his time as host of The Apprentice.
Mass displays of celebration, champagne popping and dancing in the streets have been taking place across the country, including in Trump’s native New York.
Washington traffic. pic.twitter.com/Iu2olsovjs
— Hugh Riminton (@hughriminton) November 6, 2020
And his attempts at branding the election as fraudulent have not gone unnoticed by his detractors either. This weekend, his voter fraud line, which has a voice message stating, “Thank you for calling the Trump election war room” as callers connect, has been inundated with prank phones calls, forcing organizers to change its number several times.
Since the result was called, a Trump-appointed official has yet to sign a letter allowing Joe Biden’s transition to president to formally begin – putting on hold administrative steps, such as FBI clearance for transition officials and access to funding to begin setting up ($9.9m this year).
This leaves some of us wondering whether Biden’s inauguration on 20 January will happen as planned – perhaps not, if Trump decides he doesn’t want to get on with his life and give it another try in a few years.
• This article was amended on 10 November 2020. A reference to “Democrat presidents” has been changed to “Democratic presidents”.
