The expensive recount effort in Wisconsin may have backfired on Donald Trump’s campaign.
The president’s campaign, echoing his unfounded claims of voter fraud and massive irregularities, pushed for a recount in the two largest counties in the swing state. As The Independent reported, that effort has now come to a conclusion, with Joe Biden the apparent beneficiary.
As the report noted, the count in Milwaukee County was completed on Friday night and Dane County completed its effort on Sunday. The end result was a net gain of 87 votes for the Democratic candidate, closing the door on any chance Trump may have had to swing the critical battleground. The report noted that Trump’s campaign spent $3 million to pay for the recount, as state rules require campaigns seeking a recount to pay for it themselves.
Trump has pushed forward with a series of legal challenges aimed at flipping the results of the election but suffered a string of defeats, including a ruling in Pennsylvania against efforts to stop the certification of results. Many states have already moved to certify the outcome, leaving what many see as an impossible path for him to change the results and remain in the White House.
As The Independent reported, Trump took to Fox News this weekend to complain about the rulings.
“I wanted to file one suit — Donald J Trump, President of the United States against … you know,” he said.
“Put everything into one simple suit. And they say, ‘Sir, you don’t have standing.’ I say, ‘I don’t have standing? President of the United States — I don’t have standing?’ What kind of a court system is this?”
Critics have assailed Trump for his repeated claims of fraud, which have not been backed up with evidence. He has continued to insist that he really won the race and that his opponent benefitted from illegal votes. While he has not yet conceded the race, Trump has allowed his administration to begin the transition process and Biden has begun to name key nominees for his administration.
Wisconsin had been a major point of focus for both campaigns, with Trump looking to retain the state he had narrowly won in 2016 and holding a number of rallies there. The Democratic candidate ended up winning there and in a number of other key Rust Belt battlegrounds that went red in the previous election, including Michigan and Pennsylvania. Biden ultimately won Wisconsin by more than 20,000 votes.
