President Trump is reportedly challenging the 2020 election results primarily just as "theater," as he puts on a "performance" for his supporters despite knowing he will not begin a second term in January.
Trump has still yet to concede the election to President-elect Joe Biden, and by Thursday morning, he was continuing to fire off baseless allegations of widespread voter fraud. But NBC News' Peter Alexander reports, citing a White House aide, that Trump is "very aware there is not a path to victory" for him and is putting up legal challenges as a kind of "theater" for his supporters, believing that they "deserve a fight."
Similarly, The Washington Post reports that Trump's team, which is mounting legal challenges in battleground states, has "no grand strategy to reverse the election results," and The Associated Press writes that Trump has a "greater understanding of his predicament" than you might think but thinks he "needs to keep fighting almost as performance."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Looking beyond the legal challenges that Trump evidently understands are doomed, he's reportedly interested in launching a digital media company to rival Fox News, and according to Reuters, he has told allies "he planned to run for president in 2024 and could announce it by the end of the year." The Post is reporting the same, writing, "Rather than talking about a second term, Trump has been matter-of-factly discussing a possible 2024 campaign — an indication that he knows his time as president is coming to an end, at least for now."
-
A fentanyl vaccine may be on the horizonUnder the radar Taking a serious jab at the opioid epidemic
-
The 8 best comedy TV series of 2025the week recommends From quarterlife crises to Hollywood satires, these were the funniest shows of 2025
-
Codeword: December 16, 2025The daily codeword puzzle from The Week
-
Hong Kong court convicts democracy advocate LaiSpeed Read Former Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai was convicted in a landmark national security trial
-
Australia weighs new gun laws after antisemitic attackSpeed Read A father and son opened fire on Jewish families at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, killing at least 15
-
How Bulgaria’s government fell amid mass protestsThe Explainer The country’s prime minister resigned as part of the fallout
-
Benin thwarts coup attemptSpeed Read President Patrice Talon condemned an attempted coup that was foiled by the West African country’s army
-
Pakistan: Trump’s ‘favourite field marshal’ takes chargeIn the Spotlight Asim Munir’s control over all three branches of Pakistan’s military gives him ‘sweeping powers’ – and almost unlimited freedom to use them
-
Is Europe finally taking the war to Russia?Today's Big Question As Moscow’s drone buzzes and cyberattacks increase, European leaders are taking a more openly aggressive stance
-
Pushing for peace: is Trump appeasing Moscow?In Depth European leaders succeeded in bringing themselves in from the cold and softening Moscow’s terms, but Kyiv still faces an unenviable choice
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
