A vocal contingent of Republicans, from Congress to state capitals, fell in line Friday after pressure from President Trump’s sons and allies to echo the president’s claims of a “rigged” election and voter fraud, an early sign that Trumpism will continue to have a hold on the party even if he loses in his reelection bid.
Signaling their willingness to go to the mat for the president, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) declared falsely on Fox News on Thursday night that “President Trump won this election,” while Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) donated to a new Trump legal fund and parroted Trump’s dangerous claims of foul play at the polls while providing no evidence.
Even some Trump supporters are battling among themselves about how hard they are fighting for the president to reverse the vote counts in states such as Pennsylvania and Georgia, which flipped to Joe Biden early Friday. Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Tex.) tweeted in agreement with Trump’s claims that “irregularities have been flagrant” in the vote counting but opened the door slightly to a concession, suggesting that Republicans “must accept the final results” if they eventually consider it a fair review process.