Senate Republican Says Donald Trump Should Put The Country First And Congratulate Joe Biden

Donald Trump should put the country first and congratulate Joe Biden on winning the 2020 presidential race, Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander has said.

Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, the retiring Tennessee senator offered a contrast to the president’s continued insistence that he really won the race by saying it was time for him to accept the outcome of the race.

“The states have counted, certified their votes,” Alexander said, via Politico. “The courts have resolved the disputes. It looks very much like the electors will vote for Joe Biden. And when they do, I hope that he puts the country first — mean, the president — that he takes pride in his considerable accomplishments, that he congratulates the president-elect and he helps him get off to a good start, especially in the middle of this pandemic. We need to not lose one day in the transition in getting the vaccine out to everybody who needs it.”

Alexander’s statement came just days after one of the last remaining legal attempts to overturn the results of the election ended. A lawsuit filed by the state of Texas and supported by a number of top Republicans aimed to invalidate the results in a number of key swing states that had gone for Biden. If successful, the suit would have allowed their state legislatures to set aside the results and pick their own group of electors who could then cast their votes for Trump.

The Supreme Court shot down the attempt, saying Texas did not have the standing to say how other states could run their elections. A number of other court challenges have already failed, with Trump’s legal team and allies failing to prove their allegations of fraud.

Alexander has been consistent in breaking with Trump and his unfounded allegations of illegal voting. As the Tennessean reported, the senator told reporters earlier in the week that it was time for Trump to end his legal challenges. Back in November, he called on the Trump administration to allow the transition process to begin. As the report noted, this came even as many of Alexander’s colleagues were still backing the president and his attempts to overturn the will of the voters to have a second term in the White House.

Alexander emphasized his beliefs again on Sunday, saying it was critical to have a peaceful transfer of power, which has been an important part of the country going back to George Washington.