Trump's last stand

Recounts will be called in states where the election count was close,such as Wisconsin,and yet Democrats have reason to be confident as recounts have historically shifted little more than a few hundred votes and nothing like the 20,000 or so votes needed to overturn the result in Wisconsin or the 40,000 vote margin in the decisive state of Pennsylvania.

Legal proceedings initiated by the Trump team in Michigan and Georgia have been dismissed,but there is talk of a new challenge in Nevada on claims of voting irregularities.

In the Georgia case,the campaign alleged that 53 late-arriving ballots were mixed with on-time ballots. In Michigan,it had sought to stop votes from being counted.

State judges tossed out both lawsuits on Thursday.

With evidence for legal intervention scant,experts say Trump’s best chance of legal success is in Pennsylvania,as the conservative-leaning Supreme Court has previously indicated it could reconsider the state’s rules allowing the counting of absentee votes that arrive up to three days after election day.

However,votes that could be effected by that case have been sequestered,so they will not compromise the entire count for the state. Most of the mail-in ballots arrived on election day after a concerted sweep of ballots by local authorities.

The Electoral College

If there are no further court interruptions,party representatives will assemble in mid-December in their respective states for the Electoral College process of formally voting for the President.

The 10-week transition period will also be a chance for Biden to take some down time after an 18-month election campaign. Analysis by the Partnership for Public Service shows the last six presidents each spent as much of their time during the transition period either on vacation,leave and “think time” as they did on meetings,security briefings and public appearances.

Trump meanwhile,will spend the 10 weeks as a “lame-duck president”. Some presidents use this time to attempt to force through key legislation. Others travel overseas seeking to build lasting diplomatic achievements for their legacy. In the last hours of his presidency in 2001,Bill Clinton issued presidential pardons to 140 people,including a number of his supporters.

So far,Trump has shown no sign that he is willing to concede. There is every chance he will be extremely active in his final days. Transition could be messy.