A dangerous game

On 7th November, Joe Biden was proclaimed winner of the American presidential elections, and a number of world leaders immediately congratulated the new President-elect and his running mate Kamala Harris. President Trump, however, has failed to acknowledge the result so far, and he could be the first candidate to not concede the victory in modern times. In fact, he claimed the victory in a series of tweets in which he also called for an intervention by the Supreme Court. The American President accused election officials of many States of engaging in systemic fraud, and his lawyers filed a plethora of lawsuits requesting vote recounts and claiming that absentee ballots that arrived after Election Day should not be counted. Most cases, however, have already been dropped or dismissed as the allegations were unfounded. The President’s claims on voter fraud were also rejected by the Department of Homeland Security, which declared that the 2020 elections were "the most secure in American history". The latest blow to Trump's efforts came on 21st November, when a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit aimed at disenfranchising almost seven million voters in Pennsylvania. This ruling was especially meaningful, as it was ordered by a Republican judge who stated that "it is not in the power of this Court to violate the Constitution". A recount is set to take place in Georgia, after the first audit of the ballots confirmed Biden’s win. Wisconsin, instead, will soon be the scene of a partial recount. Data show that only three of the last thirty-two recounts (mainly held for State and local elections) led to a change in the result, and when this happened candidates were separated by a few hundred votes only. In the midwestern State, instead, the votes will be tallied again in two counties which the democrat won by a landslide. This evidence could help explain why, when asked to comment on the outcome on 13th November, Trump said: “I guess time will tell”. As most States will certify the results shortly, Trump's strategy now focuses on asking Republican lawmakers from swing States to ignore the will of the people and send Republican electors to the electoral college. Although his plan is destined to fail, these unprecedented actions could have worrisome consequences. Will they reduce the faith of the American people in the impartiality of the democratic election process? Will they be the cause of a new wave of riots across the country? And to what extent will they jeopardize the transition to power of Biden and Harris, who have not been given access to Presidential intelligence briefings?