Trump is reportedly going straight to Republican state legislators in an attempt to overthrow Biden's win


President Trump has a new longshot strategy for overturning President-elect Joe Biden's win.
Over the past few weeks, Trump and his supporters have lost and dropped lawsuit after lawsuit aimed at throwing out ballots to take states away from Biden. But with a lawsuit filed in Pennsylvania and reported invitation to Michigan's Republican legislators, Trump is looking to shift the focus of his post-election campaign directly to GOP state legislatures.
On Wednesday, the Trump campaign filed a lawsuit alleging the presidential election in Pennsylvania was full of fraud — enough to suggest the ballots cast there shouldn't even be trusted. Instead, Trump's legal team suggested the court should "enter an order" declaring the results there — which gave Biden a nearly 80,000-vote lead — "defective" and allow "the Pennsylvania General Assembly to choose Pennsylvania's electors." That request would effectively strip Biden of his win, as Pennsylvania's assembly is in Republican hands.
Subscribe to 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.
And on Thursday, Trump invited leaders of Michigan's Republican state legislatures to the White House to discuss his attempt to reverse the election outcome there, unnamed sources tell The Detroit News and other outlets. Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey and House Speaker Lee Chatfield, both Republicans, will visit Trump on Friday in what The New York Times calls a "brazen" attempt to stop the legislature from certifying the state's electoral votes for Biden.
Shirkey, for one, told Bridge Michigan on Tuesday he wouldn't be certifying the state's vote for Trump. "That's not going to happen," he said. Trump had reportedly reached out to canvassers in Michigan who had at first decided not to certify Wayne County's election results.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
Nationalist wins tight Polish presidential election
speed read Karol Nawrocki beat Rafal Trzaskowski in Poland's presidential runoff election
-
Ukraine hits Russia's bomber fleet in stealth drone attack
speed read The operation, which destroyed dozens of warplanes, is the 'biggest blow of the war against Moscow's long-range bomber fleet'
-
Starving Gazans overrun US-backed food aid hub
speed read Israeli troops fired warning shots at the Palestinians
-
Israel's Western allies pull back amid Gaza escalation
speed read Britain and the EU are reconsidering allegiance with Israel as the Gaza siege continues
-
Trump drops ceasefire demand after Putin call
speed read Following a phone call with Russia's president, Trump backed off an earlier demand that Putin agree to an immediate ceasefire with Ukraine
-
Pro-EU centrist beats Trump acolyte in Romania vote
speed read The mayor of Bucharest, Nicusor Dan, defeated hard-right nationalist George Simion in the race for Romania's presidency
-
Israel-US 'rift': is Trump losing patience with Netanyahu?
Today's Big Question US president called for an end to Gaza war and negotiated directly with Hamas to return American hostage, amid rumours of strained relations
-
Kurdish PKK militia to disband for Turkey talks
speed read The Kurdistan Workers' Party will disarm after four decades of armed conflict with Turkey, putting an end to 'one of the longest insurgencies in the Middle East'