FARGO — Let’s puncture a fairy tale that President Trump and many of his followers are trying to foist upon the country: Joe Biden won the election and will be our next president.
Biden, in fact, won with more votes than any other presidential candidate in history. His margin of victory in some battleground states is measured in thousands of votes, but the numbers still are large enough to withstand any recount.
Trump’s refusal to concede what is increasingly obvious as the count continues is placing his own selfish interests above those of the nation. They shouldn’t be indulged.
As the coronavirus pandemic continues an alarming surge around the nation, and the economy remains badly damaged, with businesses closing and millions out of work, Trump should direct his administration to help the Biden team during the transition.
Instead, he’s pressing flimsy lawsuits that are getting quickly thrown out of court with support from many in the GOP — astonishing, given that Trump isn’t really a conservative and has dismantled the party of Ronald Reagan.
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With so much at stake, the nation now should rally behind Biden, who ran with a message of seeking to unify the country. It’s likely that Republicans will keep control of the Senate, which will keep Biden, a centrist at heart, from moving forward with a far-left agenda.
The two parties have opportunities to forge compromises, including passing badly needed pandemic relief and infrastructure investments. We are badly divided on cultural issues, but share a lot of common ground on economic issues.
Let's be honest. Having Donald J. Trump no longer in the White House might not be the worst thing in the world. We can all collectively take a breath. The Donald was a force that occupied our collective consciousness for the past four years. And it wasn’t always pretty. Or easy.
Even for his supporters, if they are being honest, it was difficult. If you are a true red Republican, it was not easy. If you are a fiscal conservative, it was difficult to see our national debt go through the roof; if you are a Christian, it was difficult to see this man present himself as one of you.
There can be no doubt now that Trump is an immoral, deeply unreliable man who has presided over chaos and inflamed our differences for political gain. Voters are tired of it. It’s striking to note that Republicans made gains in the U.S. House and state legislatures — in spite of Trump, not because of him.
In any case, conservative Christians, an important part of Trump’s base, have been rewarded. They’ve gotten a conservative Supreme Court with a 6-3 supermajority that, at minimum, will continue to whittle away at the 1973 decision legalizing abortion — and possibly will overturn that landmark decision.
Trump’s tenure in office is coming to a merciful end. Now it’s time for the country to move on.
This editorial represents the views of The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead management and Editorial Board.
