The Big Story

US Elections: What if Trump Loses But Refuses to Concede?


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Who will US pick as its President? With less than a few hours to go for the US Elections of 2020, all eyes are on America to see whether it will be another term for President Donald Trump, or if Joe Biden will become the next President.

But in a state with a deeply polarised population and an incumbent president who is highly suspicious of the whole electoral process, things could turn messy.

Firstly, President Trump has been constantly challenging the legitimacy of this election calling it a "big scam", starting with the postal ballots. And this is raising concerns that Trump might try to call the election prematurely.

But the second and more worrying issue, is that with Trump so far refusing to commit to a peaceful transition of power, what happens if he loses and actually refuses to accept the election results?

With so much distrust bubbling amongst both Trump and Biden supporters there's also a big worry about a potential blowout, with some protesters already planning to hit the streets, and US unions reportedly discussing the possibility of a general strike, if Trump decides to interfere with the election.

Now Joe Biden has been predicted to have a lead over Trump nationally, but so did Hillary Clinton in 2016 which she lost to Trump. As the key to the election depends on the electoral college and not the popular vote, what are Biden's chances looking like this year? Is a repeat scenario expected? Tune in!

References:

In the US, You Can Win the Popular Vote But Lose the Election
How Mail-in Votes Could Delay US Presidential Election Results
We Have Never Had Final Results on Election Day
How many Americans have voted in the presidential election – and how?
Unions discussing general strike if Trump refuses to accept Biden victory
Americans plan widespread protests if Trump interferes with election

Producer and Host: Shorbori Purkayastha
Guests:  Andrew Claster, Deputy Chief Analytics Officer for President Barack Obama's 2012 re-election campaign
Editor: Shelly Walia

Music: Big Bang Fuzz

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