Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Mar 18, 2026

US election 2020: Trump ally urges him to accept defeat in US vote

US election 2020: Trump ally urges him to accept defeat in US vote

A prominent ally of Donald Trump has urged him to drop his efforts to overturn his loss to Joe Biden in the US presidential election.

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie called the president's legal team a "national embarrassment".

President Trump has refused to concede the election, making unsubstantiated claims of widespread electoral fraud.

Many Republicans have supported his legal efforts but a small but growing number have broken ranks.

On Saturday Mr Trump suffered a major blow in Pennsylvania, after a judge dismissed a lawsuit from the Trump campaign seeking to invalidate millions of mail-in votes in the battleground state.

In a scathing ruling, Judge Matthew Brann said his court had been presented with "strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations".

The move paves the way for Pennsylvania to on Monday certify Mr Biden's win - the Democratic president-elect leads there by more than 80,000 votes.

Mr Biden is projected to defeat President Trump 306 to 232 in the US electoral college, which determines who becomes president - far above the 270 he needs to win.

What did Chris Christie say?


Speaking to ABC's This Week programme on Sunday, Mr Christie, a former New Jersey governor, said: "Quite frankly, the conduct of the president's legal team has been a national embarrassment".

He said the Trump camp was often discussing election fraud "outside the courtroom, but when they go inside the courtroom they don't plead fraud and they don't argue fraud".

"I have been a supporter of the president's. I voted for him twice. But elections have consequences, and we cannot continue to act as if something happened here that didn't happen."

Mr Christie was the first governor to endorse Mr Trump as a presidential candidate back in 2016. He also helped prepare the US president for his debates with Mr Biden earlier this year.

He singled out for criticism Sidney Powell, a lawyer who appeared with Trump's legal team during a press conference on Thursday who, without providing evidence, said that electronic voting systems switched millions of ballots to Biden, and that he also won thanks to "communist money".

But on Sunday the Trump campaign issued a statement distancing themselves from Ms Powell, saying she "is practicing law on her own" and was "not a member of the Trump legal team".

A tweet from President Trump earlier this month explicitly named her as part of the team.

On Sunday other Republicans also urged President Trump to concede.

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan told CNN on Sunday that the Trump camp's continued efforts to overturn the election results were "beginning to look like we're a banana republic".

In a post on Twitter, Gov Hogan said Mr Trump should "stop golfing and concede".

Michigan Representative Fred Upton told CNN the voters in his battleground state "spoke" by choosing Mr Biden, while North Dakota Senator Kevin Cramer said in an interview to NBC it was "past time to start a transition", although he stopped short of accepting Mr Biden's victory.

What has the Biden camp been up to?


President Trump's refusal to concede has complicated the process that normally follows a US election.

Joe Biden is to announce his first cabinet appointments on Tuesday, said Ron Klain, the president-elect's choice as White House chief-of-staff.

Speaking to ABC on Sunday, Mr Klain called on the Trump administration to facilitate the transition.


Joe Biden (right) is ploughing on with the transition, despite Mr Trump's refusal to formally concede


"A record number of Americans rejected the Trump presidency, and since then Donald Trump's been rejecting democracy," he said.

And he revealed that the Biden campaign was preparing for a "scaled-down" inauguration on 20 January due to the worsening coronavirus outbreak.


How to move on after the US election



Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK Security Adviser Viewed US-Iran Nuclear Deal as Within Reach Before Sudden Escalation
UK Prime Minister Urges Continued Focus on Ukraine Amid Escalating Iran Conflict
UK Introduces New Safeguards to Shield Lenders from Bank Run Risks
UK Promotional Products Market Surpasses £1.3 Billion as Demand Strengthens in 2025
Reeves Pushes for Deeper UK-EU Economic Ties to Revive Growth
UK Security Adviser Saw No Imminent Iranian Nuclear Threat Days Before War Erupted
France Signals Warm Welcome for UK Return to EU Single Market Amid Renewed Cooperation Talks
UK Defence Official Criticises Boeing Over Delays to E-7 Wedgetail Programme
UK Urged to Secure Quantum Talent as Minister Warns Against Repeating AI Setbacks
UK Mayors Set to Gain New Spending Powers Under Reeves’ Fiscal Devolution Plan
Western Allies Urge Restraint as Israel Weighs Expanded Ground Operation in Lebanon
Trump Warns NATO Faces ‘Very Bad’ Future Without Stronger Allied Support in Iran Conflict
UK Minister Says Britain Not Bound to Support Every Demand From U.S. President
Starmer Tells Trump Britain Will Not Be Drawn Into Wider Iran War
Starmer Tells Trump Britain Will Not Be Drawn Into Wider Iran War
UK Set to Introduce Steel Tariffs of Up to 50 Percent in New Industrial Strategy
European Governments Decline Trump’s Call to Send Warships to Reopen Strait of Hormuz
Fears Over Iran Conflict Weigh on UK Consumer Confidence
Starmer Says UK Working With Allies on Hormuz Shipping Plan After Trump Raises Pressure
Iran War and Energy Shock Shake Britain’s Economy and Political Debate
Deadly Meningitis Outbreak at UK University Leaves Two Dead and Several Seriously Ill
Deadly Meningitis Outbreak at UK University Leaves Two Dead and Several Seriously Ill
King Charles and Queen Camilla Share Personal Tributes to Their Mothers on UK Mother’s Day
Prince William Honors Princess Diana with Mother’s Day Tribute
UK Economy Stalls in January as Households Cut Back on Eating Out
AI-Generated Singer Becomes Viral Voice for Iranians With New Anthem
London Private Club Founder Plans Exclusive Palm Beach Venue Near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago
Ed Davey Urges Britain to Build Fully Independent Nuclear Missile Capability
What the UK Covid Inquiry Is and How It Investigates Britain’s Pandemic Response
What the UK Covid Inquiry Is and How It Investigates Britain’s Pandemic Response
US Treasury Links British Polo Patrons to Alleged Venezuelan Oil Proceeds Laundering Scheme
Hundreds Gather in London Despite Ban on Annual Pro-Palestinian March
Two Dead and Multiple Students Seriously Ill After Invasive Meningitis Outbreak at UK University
UK Considers Deploying Ships and Mine-Hunting Drones to Reopen Strait of Hormuz
Starmer and Trump Discuss Urgent Need to Reopen Strait of Hormuz Amid Escalating Iran Conflict
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Planned Australia Visit Draws Mixed Reaction From Local Communities
Trump Calls on France and UK to Help Safeguard Strait of Hormuz Shipping Route
Boris Johnson Labels Bitcoin a ‘Ponzi Scheme’, Sparking Debate in Crypto World
UK Considers Targeted Aid for Vulnerable Households as Energy Costs Rise
Stellantis Urges Immediate Review of UK Electric Vehicle Sales Targets
Home Office Reverses Course to Allow Some Dual Nationals to Enter UK Using EU Passports
Reform UK Proposes Replacing Top Civil Servants With Officials Aligned to Government Agenda
Netflix Adds Critically Acclaimed ‘Best Film of 2025’ With Perfect Rotten Tomatoes Score
‘The Sums Don’t Add Up’: UK Farmers Hit by Soaring Costs as Iran War Disrupts Global Supplies
Confidential UK Biobank Health Records Found Online After Researchers Accidentally Expose Data
Trump Urges Britain and Allies to Deploy Warships to Safeguard Strait of Hormuz
Trump Urges Britain and Allies to Deploy Warships to Safeguard Strait of Hormuz
Middle East War Highlights Strategic Importance of Strong UK–Ireland Cooperation
Weak Growth Signals UK Economy Was Faltering Even Before Middle East Energy Shock
Marks & Spencer Tops UK Fashion Retail Rankings as Most Considered Brand
×