Joe Biden may have won - but damage of Trump's fraud claims will last for years

The White House has been eerily silent of late.

Normally home to the world’s biggest political megaphone, Mr Trump has started to look more like the silent squatter of late, dangling the prospect he might refuse to hand over the keys to the White House.

But on Friday he managed to pull himself away from the keyboard to brief about drug prices – one of his few public appearances since his election defeat.

Or as he would say… since his election victory.

He told the room of reporters: “We won by the way – 70 million votes,” before claiming without presenting any evidence, that Democrats “found some ballots… to deter us from doing what is right for the American people”.

But, he didn’t take questions.

He doesn’t seem to want an adversarial back and forth, just an uninterrupted platform that he’ll cling on to for as long as he can.

But he continues to be hit by the blunt sword of reality. Lawsuits thrown out and states confirming exactly what they did many days ago – that Joe Biden is the winner.

Georgia was the latest, certifying its results after a hand recount. It is a state that for decades has been reliably Republican.

But Mr Trump and his so-called Elite Force Team of lawyers will tell you none of the results that went against their man can be trusted.

In an extraordinary news conference this week, I watched as Rudy Giuliani made wild claims about a national conspiracy against the president as a strange dark liquid dripped down his face.

China, Venezuela, Joe Biden – they were all in on it apparently.

When I asked what evidence he had that the president-elect was part of some plot, another lawyer, Jennifer Ellis, jumped in to tell me: “Your question is fundamentally flawed when you are asking where is the evidence.”

There are cold, hard, difficult facts for the president’s legal team though.

Of 30 lawsuits launched by the team and various Republican interests, not one single court has found evidence of fraud.

The next big step in this ongoing saga is 14 December. That’s when electors in each state cast their ballots.

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It should create certainty about who really won. And yet, it feels like Mr Trump and his team have won one battle – sowing discord and doubt about America’s democracy.

That could have consequences for years to come.

This article was originally published by Sky.com. Read the original article here.