In the first presser since major news outlets called the election for Joe Biden, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters President Donald Trump was not “given an orderly transition of power.”
Trump’s stubborn refusal to acknowledge his loss has become a frustrating situation for President-elect Biden, leading him to claim he’s not receiving high-level briefings, Just The News [1] reports. And some of his fellow Democrats are also alleging Trump administration officials aren’t cooperating with the Biden team to help with the transition.
But McEnany turned the tables by saying Trump’s transition wasn’t smooth either.
“We’ve talked a lot about transfer of power and the election,” she told reporters. “And it’s worth remembering that this president was never given an orderly transition of power. His presidency was never accepted. In fact, before the election, his election we know Crossfire Hurricane was launched by [former FBI agent] Peter Strzok to pursue baseless allegations about the president’s ties with Russia.”
While pages and pages of evidence have delineated Trump’s ties with Russia, McEnany played up the pity party.
“And what happened after he was elected, you had 70 lawmakers say we’re not coming to his inauguration. Democratic lawmakers, you had [Massachusetts Sen.] Elizabeth Warren, saying, ‘We’re going to attempt to obstruct the Trump transition by urging the Government Accountability Office to investigate the incoming Trump transition,” McEnany said.
“Many sought to undermine him, discredit him, delegitimize him and deny his victory. There were no calls for unity, there were no calls for healing (healing for what, I have to wonder. I have no idea what she’s referring to.) So while every legal vote is counted, let us not forget the inexcusable transition, or lack thereof, that President Trump had to endure in 2016, and for years into this presidency.”
Her contentions here are ridiculous. Yes, Democrats certainly weren’t thrilled that Trump won, but he was welcomed graciously by then-president Barack Obama within two days following the election. And Democrat Hillary Clinton quickly conceded the election to Trump.
But perhaps McEnany and her boss don’t understand irony. Because while she claims Trump wasn’t treated fairly, he’s grasping at straws to fight Biden’s transition and refusing to acknowledge he very clearly lost.
“The president’s been very clear, he wants every legal vote to be counted,” she added.
Quite obviously we’re going to be stuck with this boring show a while longer because Trump can’t handle the truth.
“There is ongoing litigation, what we know 74 million Americans have voted for this president and more votes than any president has gotten in history,” she said. “There are very real claims that the campaign are pursuing,” she said, referring to the numerous lawsuits in battleground states where Biden won narrowly.
Of course, the majority of these lawsuits have been tossed out by courts and I’m going to burst McEnany’s bubble by noting that while yes, her boss did receive a lot of votes, it’s Joe Biden who has set a record for winning the highest number [2] of votes for a winning presidential candidate — nearly 80 million to Trump’s nearly [3] 74 million votes.
McEnany and her boss can conjure up as much fiction as they like but a fact is still just that — a fact. The sooner Trump concedes, the better.
WATCH:
Justifying Trump's refusal to concede the election he lost, Kayleigh McEnany complains about Democrats saying mean things about Trump in 2016-17, and falsely claims his transition was not orderly. pic.twitter.com/vImYXRaeIN [4]
— The American Independent (@AmerIndependent) November 20, 2020 [5]
And just in case you forgot:
Kayleigh McEnany just went on a lying screed claiming Trump didn’t get an orderly transition. False.
Clinton immediately conceded & Obama welcomed Trump at the WH days later.
Obama didn’t block the transition like Trump is doing to Biden.
Roll the tape. pic.twitter.com/oqq8r9LXgp [6]
— Rantt Media (@RanttMedia) November 20, 2020 [7]