So, What’s Going to Happen During Trump’s ORD Mood (Now Till 20 Jan 2021)?

It’s official.

Despite Trump’s best efforts, he’s not able to repeat his feat from 2016 and overturn the national polls at the 2020 presidential election.

Joe Biden is now the President-elect of the United States and Trump’s now in his ORD mood before handing the duties over to him, right?

Well, apparently, it’s not set in stone yet. Yes, Trump was right.

The US Presidential Election System

Apparently, the presidential election in the US is a tad bit more complicated than the Singapore version.

If you’ve read our article on why the national polls went in the opposite direction back in 2016, you’ll understand that there are two parts to the US election system for their president.

I mean, you know that the US is one of the more populous countries in the world, yet when it comes to hearing about the results, you’re looking at 214 vs 290 votes?

It’s because of something called an electoral college.

Electoral College

The US is divided into many, many states.

Each state is allocated a certain number of “electoral votes”, whereby if a candidate wins the state, he’ll be given a certain number of votes.

For example, imagine Trump and Biden are fighting over Choa Chu Kang, which has 11 electoral votes.

Should Trump win, he’ll add 11 electoral votes to whatever he has already gathered while if Biden won, he would be the one to get that 11 votes instead of the 1.6 million residential votes in the area.

When the US residents go to voting stations on voting day, they’re not exactly voting in who they want as POTUS (President of the United States).

Instead, they’re actually signalling their interest to the electors in their state who will then, meet at a later date to vote in the president of their choice.

In total, there are 538 electors in the US and they are referred to as the Electoral College.

The Americans have been refining the electoral process since the 1800s after several individuals managed to become the president despite not winning a majority in the Electoral College or in the popular votes.

And turns out, winning the residents votes is only the first step through to Presidenthood.

So, What’s Going to Happen During Trump’s ORD Mood (Now Till 20 Jan 2021)?

Here’s a timeline of what’s going to happen from now until 20 Jan 2021.

8 Dec 2020

This is the time to settle any vote count disputes at the state level.

So for example, if Nevada suddenly makes noise and say they need to recount votes, it must be done by this date.

Court contests over the results of the balloting must also happen by this date.

14 Dec 2020

On 14 Dec, the electors of the various states will vote for the person they want to get into the president’s seat.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: Then couldn’t they just vote against the people’s choice?

According to the Guardian, 33 states in the US and the District of Columbia has laws against electors voting against the people’s choice.

Penalties could include being removed from their position.

And let’s face it: some people were hoping that they vote against the people’s choice in 2016. Trump still sat in the Oval Office for four years.

23 Dec 2020

Certificates of the vote signed by the electors must be received by designated officers.

6 Jan 2021

Tickets are counted in the Senate and any candidate who reaches 270 electoral votes is the winner of the presidential election.

If there is no clear winner (i.e. no one above 270 votes), the senate can decide based on the 12th amendment to the US constitution.

In fact, if they have to, they can elect a president in too.

20 Jan 2021

The president-elect is sworn into office on 20 Jan 2021, making him (which is assumed to be Joe Biden) the rightful president for the rest of the term.

Now, of course, during these 10 to 11 weeks, how would the US be governed?

Technically speaking, Trump would still be in office and be in charge, but usually, during this period, he’s kind of serving his “notice period”, and will usually meet with the President-Elect team for a smooth transition of power.

But hey: that’s for other presidents. It’s unknown if Trump would lock himself in the Oval Office and refuse to hand over power.

Joe Biden Has A High Chance To Become President

According to the Guardian, Biden has a very high chance of clearing the 270 electoral votes threshold despite Trump’s “protestation”.

In his victory speech, Biden said it’s time for America to heal.

“I am honoured and humbled by the trust the American people have placed in me and in Vice President-elect (Kamala) Harris. In the face of unprecedented obstacles, a record number of Americans voted,” he said.

“With the campaign over, it’s time to put the anger and the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation. It’s time for America to unite. And to heal.”

Biden, who will turn 78 in a few weeks, has run two unsuccessful presidential campaigns before this.

He has been in politics for 44 years, serving as a senator in the United States Senate from 1973 until 2009, when he became vice-president under Barack Obama.

Biden has said that the first thing he would do as president is to implement a national strategy to combat the coronavirus.

Trump’s Response

In response, Trump simply said that the presidential race is “far from over”.

“Joe Biden has not been certified as the winner in any states, let alone any of the highly contested states headed for mandatory recounts…” Trump said, in typical Trump fashion.

INBOX: Statement from President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/LJxbbdQBJu

— Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) November 7, 2020

Trump and his team have filed several lawsuits alleging voter fraud and falsely claiming that Republican poll watchers were barred from observing the vote-counting process.

Many, however, believed that his tactics will likely only delay the inevitable.

Others believe Trump is hesitant to leave the White House not just because he’s a bad loser, but because several lawsuits will be awaiting him on the outside.

In any case, it’s hard to envision a scenario where Trump congratulates Biden and welcomes him to the White House, which will happen on 20 Jan 2021 if everything goes as plan.

Nonetheless, this hasn’t stopped PM Lee Hsien Loong, DPM Heng Swee Keat and President Halimah Yacob from extending their congratulations to Joe Biden for his neat victory.

As for whether Trump will be dragged kicking and screaming from the White House, it seems like we’ll only know next year.

Meanwhile, here are 10 facts about Joe Biden, the president-elect who had visited Singapore back in 2013 and was even remembered favourably by hawkers here.

Image: Evan El-Amin / Shutterstock.com