Trump Keeps Up Fight as Family Spars Over Concession
President Donald Trump's refusal to accept defeat in the presidential election is creating a split within his inner circle, including his family.
After four days of counting yielded in the victory of his opponent Joe Biden, Trump insisted that the race was not yet over.
His campaign filed suits in several states and threw allegations that this year's election wasn't fair, insisting he had "WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT."
Within his circle of colleagues, Trump has already experienced being pushed in different directions.
Some nudged him to concede graciously, while many of his Republican allies were egging him on or giving him space to process the loss, noted Associated Press.
Trump Family is Split on Next Move
Even his own family is split on the matter. First lady Melania Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner have advised him to give a concession speech. On the other hand, his adult sons pressed him and his allies to keep fighting, reported CNN.
Kushner, who also works as the president's senior adviser, approached him to concede, two unnamed sources told CNN. Meanwhile, Melania reportedly brought up the matter in private.
Even though many major news organizations have already projected Biden's race on Saturday, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump urged allies to press on and publicly rejected the results.
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham was one of the people urging the president to continue fighting, telling Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures," "Trump has not lost."
"Do not concede, Mr. President. Fight hard," he told Trump.
The president was at his golf club in Sterling, Virginia when news outlets called the race for Biden on Saturday.
According to CNN's sources, he has not denied the election's outcomes privately as he has done publicly. But he did push for more legal challenges that could delay the certification of the results.
Read also: US Election Explainer: What Happens Between Now and President-Elect Biden's Inauguration?
News of his family's persuasion came after the Trump campaign said Biden was "rushing to falsely pose as the winner," reported USA Today.
Meanwhile, Axios' Jonathan Swan said in a tweet that Kushner was pushing for the legal strategy than a "restraining voice telling him to concede."
The story on Kushner's advising the president to concede was also denied by Trump campaign spokesman Jason Miller.
In a tweet Sunday morning, Miller said the CNN story was not true, although the news outlet stood by its story.
"Jared has advised @realDonaldTrump to pursue all available legal remedies to ensure accuracy," wrote Miller.
What Comes Next for Trump?
Trump is not expected to have a formal concession, according to people close to him.
He is likely to grudgingly move out of the White House at the end of the term instead.
Painting the election as unfair or fraudulent may be part of an effort to let his supporters know he's still fighting, which might keep them excited for what comes next.
Read also: Trump Campaign Files Lawsuit in Arizona Alleging Rejection of In-Person Votes
"I will not rest until the American People have the honest vote count they deserve and that Democracy demands," he said, making it clear that the Trump campaign will still push for a legal battle.
According to Biden-Harris deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield, neither campaign has been in contact since Saturday night.
Biden campaign's senior adviser Symone Sanders also told CNN's Jake Tapper that some GOP members from the Hill have reached out, but none so far from the White House.
Biden was projected the winner of this year's election after winning the battleground state of Pennsylvania.
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