Trump 'absent without leave' after poll defeat; White House defends light public schedule

A week after the US election 2020, while President-elect Joe Biden pledged to “restore the soul of America,” the Republican incumbent Donald Trump, on the other hand, is absent without leave. Trump made his first public appearance in six days on November 11 when he visited Arlington National Cemetery for a ceremony commemorating Veterans Day alongside first lady Melania Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. However, he did not speak or respond to any questions by the reporters. 

Trump has been attempting to amplify his stance even while his inner circle is left divided over his refusal to concede and accept the results of the presidential elections. He has mounted a fierce battle to remain in office but has also shown little interest in the work of being the President. Ever since he vowed to fight the election results, Trump, who has spent his years in the office by producing television moments, has made few or no efforts at all to show the American people he is still governing. 

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Trump has resorted to social media and he has been firing inflammatory and baseless claims on Twitter, which have already been flagged by the micro-blogging website as misinformation. He has also been hitting his golf course. Over the weekend, the Republican leader resumed his gold outings, which had been on hold since September 27. He was spotted on the links at Trump National Gold Club in Sterling, Virginia on Saturday, and again on Sunday. 

White House defends Trump’s light schedule 

A White House spokesman defended Trump’s light public schedule and said that he is “carrying out all of his duties”. Deputy press secretary Judd Deere said in a statement that just as he promised, President Trump is fighting hard for a free and fair election while at the same time carrying out all of his duties to put America first. 

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However, according to CNN, Trump did not meet with his political and White House advisers on Tuesday to discuss the next steps in his legal strategy and he also did not offer his plans to concede the election. Trump’s refusal to concede has even prompted senior US officials to spread the word that any cooperation with Biden’s team is forbidden. Trump remains absent when it comes to doing the work of the federal government. 

Since October 2, when Trump was diagnosed with COVID-19, his daily public schedule has shown a paucity of official White House events in the lead-up to the November 3 election. Nearly 50 campaign rallies, the lack of official meetings over more than a month amid the pandemic, is notable. While the White House officials have repeatedly touted Trump’s accessibility and transparency with the press, the President, however, has not yet taken any question from the press since his loss and has yet to provide any credible evidence to back up his baseless claims of voter fraud. According to reports, there have been 13 days with no events listed on the schedule since October 2, including the time the president spent at Walter Reed and at the White House.

(Image: AP) 

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