Trump Business, Political Allies Urge Him to Concede Election

President Donald Trump is facing rising pressure from business leaders and prominent Republicans to begin a transition to President-Elect Joe Biden -- or even concede defeat -- as Trump’s long-shot legal challenges fail to gain traction.

Several key allies for Trump appeared to lose their patience over the weekend. Blackstone Group Inc. Chief Executive Officer Stephen Schwarzman, Trump’s highest-profile supporter on Wall Street, said Monday that he considers Biden the president-elect, while the New York Times reported that a group of business and finance leaders was preparing an open letter urging the start of a transition.

Republican senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota -- one of Trump’s staunchest allies -- on Sunday called for the transition to Biden to begin, while Republican Senator Pat Toomey congratulated Biden on his victory on Saturday after Trump suffered another legal defeat in Pennsylvania.

The comments show a growing chorus within the party acknowledging that Biden won the election -- or is all but certain to -- and that delaying the transition of power risks impeding critical programs like the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic. Still, only a minority of Republicans have spoken out, and several have taken a hedged stance that Trump should begin the transition while continuing his legal fight.

But even the court challenges are losing support. Longtime Trump adviser Chris Christie said Sunday the president’s legal team had become a “national embarrassment” after pushing conspiracy theories about voter fraud in a series of bizarre media appearances.

Larry Hogan, the Republican governor of Maryland who’s an outspoken Trump critic, responded to an insult the president tweeted about him by telling Trump to “stop golfing and concede.”

Other national-level figures, most notably Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, have declined to speak out so far.

On Monday, a group of leading GOP national security experts pressured Republican lawmakers to demand President Trump concede the election and immediately begin the transition in a statement signed by more than 100 leaders, the Washington Post reported.

The signers included former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, who served under President George W. Bush, former CIA Director Michael Hayden and John D. Negroponte, who served as director of national intelligence.

The president’s time is running out, as states including Michigan and Pennsylvania prepare to certify their election results as soon as Monday, sealing Biden’s victory. Pennsylvania Republicans filed another lawsuit on Sunday seeking to block certification.

“It’s past time to start a transition, to at least cooperate with the transition. I’d rather have a president that has more than one day to prepare, should Joe Biden, you know, end up winning this,” Cramer told Meet The Press on Sunday.

Cramer said the election is “very likely” over but isn’t yet over, and gave Trump leeway to keep up his legal fight. “I don’t know why we’re so easily offended by a president that’s carrying out all of his legal options in court,” he said.

More than 100 executives plan to send a memo on Monday demanding that Emily Murphy, head of the General Services Administration, affirm that Biden has won the election and issue the paperwork required for his team to begin a transition, the Times reported. Schwarzman’s public acknowledgment of Biden’s victory was first reported by Axios.

“I supported President Trump and the strong economic path he built,” Schwarzman said in a statement. “Like many in the business community, I am ready to help President-elect Biden and his team as they confront the significant challenges of rebuilding our post-Covid economy.”

Biden’s team has become more vocal in calling for the transition to start, warning that the delay could impede the rollout of a coronavirus vaccine and hinder other key government programs. Biden plans to begin naming his cabinet this week.

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