And his high-ranking supporter has some advice.
“Dr. Oz must declare victory,” Trump advised in a tweet on his Truth Social website. “It makes it much harder for them to cheat with the ballots they just happened to find.”
Um, good.
What Trump’s statement makes clear is that he hasn’t learned the right (or any) lessons from the 2020 election (and no, I’m not surprised.)
For Trump – in politics and life – perception is all that matters.
When you declare bankruptcy, as Trump did, make sure everyone knows it’s a strategic (and smart) move.
When you lose – whether it’s the Iowa Caucasus in 2016 or the 2020 general election – insist that you actually win. Tell everyone that you have won enough times and they can start believing. (Remember, opinion polls show that a clear majority of Republican voters now say Joe Biden did not win the 2020 election fairly and honestly)
Oz, at least so far, has not accepted Trump’s advice. “When all the votes are counted, we will win,” Oz predicted at a rally on Tuesday night. Which is not the same as declaring victory.
It is unlikely to know who won the Republican Senate primary for at least a few days. “The counties will send me their unofficial declarations next Tuesday,” Pennsylvania Secretary of State Lee Chapman told CNN on Wednesday. “At that time, I will decide whether we want to move forward with automatic counting or not.”
(Counting is triggered if the profit is less than .5%. As of Wednesday afternoon, Oz is leading McCormick by .2%.)
With all this in mind, the responsible thing to do is to wait until all the ballots have been counted (or counted) before declaring victory. Which is the opposite of what Trump wants Oz to do.
The point: All Trump is interested in is victory – at any cost. Even if it undermines society’s faith in the political process.
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