Sources claim First Lady Melania Trump has urged President to concede defeat
Donald Trump’s wife has joined a growing list of people urging the President to humbly admit defeat after his humiliating election loss.
The US election drama has stepped up a notch amid reports a growing number of Donald Trump’s own relatives – including wife Melania – are now urging him to concede.
The President – who convincingly lost the November 3 election to former vice president Joe Biden – has so far refused to admit defeat.
He has repeatedly made a string of allegations of election fraud, with no evidence, despite losing the popular vote by more than 4.4 million votes so far, and receiving just 214 electoral college votes compared with Mr Biden’s 290.
To win a US election, a candidate must secure a crucial 270 electoral college votes to claim victory, and while three states – Alaska, Georgia and North Carolina – are yet to finishing counting, they would not make a difference to the final result.
However, Mr Trump has been digging in his heels since election day, branding it a “stolen election” and labelling his rivals “thieves” on Twitter while also pursuing legal avenues to challenge the outcome.
RELATED: What is Trump’s greatest accomplishment? Have your say in our online poll
RELATED: Why Biden’s victory isn’t good enough
However, it appears the tide is beginning to turn when it comes to Mr Trump’s own inner circle.
A “source familiar with the conversations” reportedly told CNN that First Lady Melania Trump had privately shared her opinion and instructed her husband to accept the situation.
“She has offered it, as she often does,” the source said, according to CNN.
The American people deserve fair elections. Every legal - not illegal - vote should be counted. We must protect our democracy with complete transparency.
— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) November 8, 2020
Publicly, however, it’s a different story, with Mrs Trump taking to Twitter to echo her husband’s concerns regarding “illegal” votes.
“The American people deserve fair elections. Every legal - not illegal - vote should be counted. We must protect our democracy with complete transparency,” she posted on Twitter in her first statement since the US election today.
Meanwhile, CNN also reports that the President’s senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner – who is married to Mr Trump’s eldest daughter Ivanka – has delivered a similar message, although Mr Trump’s campaign spokesman Jason Miller has denied that claim.
RELATED: Trump to ‘barricade himself inside Oval Office’
In contrast, Mr Trump’s eldest sons Eric and Don Jr have both urged their father to continue the fight against the election result, with both also backing up his unfounded fraud claims.
Software from hell! There needs to be a manual recount of every ballot in this country right now! https://t.co/179Bk8ltHQ
— Eric Trump (@EricTrump) November 8, 2020
DECLASSIFY EVERYTHING!!!
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) November 8, 2020
We can’t let the bad actors get away with it.
So far, some high-profile Republicans have spoken out in support of Mr Trump and backed up his claims, with former house speaker Newt Gingrich sensationally telling Fox News in an opinion piece that there had been “breathtaking systemic corruption during this election”.
However, many others – including former president George W Bush – have insisted the electoral system is sound.
Mr Bush personally called Mr Biden to offer his congratulations, and later issued a public statement on the matter, calling the election “fundamentally fair”.
Statement by President George W. Bush: https://t.co/Bsbv8k1nho pic.twitter.com/O7CLtEvxk0
— George W. Bush Presidential Center (@TheBushCenter) November 8, 2020
“The outcome is clear,” Mr Bush said.
“Though we have political differences, I know Joe Biden to be a good man, who has won his opportunity to lead and unify our country.”
RELATED: Are Trump’s voter fraud claims true?
RELATED: America’s confusing voting system explained
The saga comes as celebrities and everyday US citizens alike have taken to the streets to celebrate Mr Biden’s stunning win.
The president-elect broke former president Barack Obama’s record for most votes ever cast for a presidential candidate.
Meanwhile, as the Trump family reels from the election outcome, President Trump’s former aide and The Apprentice star Omarosa Manigault Newman has made fresh, explosive allegations about his marriage.
Late last month, Omarosa told British breakfast television program Lorraine the Trump marriage was “very strange” and that Mrs Trump was “repulsed” by her husband.
“It’s a very strange marriage. I’m very cautious to comment on the dynamics of a marriage because you never know what goes on behind closed doors,” she told the show.
“But I have known this couple since they were dating, they got married a year after The Apprentice aired.
“What I have observed in the last 17 years would make your head spin. Sometimes they like each other but sometimes she (Melania Trump) is repulsed by him.”
Now, she has made fresh allegations that the marriage was in trouble.
According to the Daily Mail, Omarosa alleged the couple’s 15-year marriage was coming to an end, adding: “Melania is counting every minute until he is out of office and she can divorce”.
She has written an explosive book, Unhinged, offering a behind-the-scenes look into the Trump administration – and the President’s third marriage.
‘Never accept it’: Ukraine defies Trump
Volodymyr Zelensky has responded to the American government’s latest remarks with a remarkably pointed message.
‘Cruel, petty’: Bizarre Trump move stuns
The Donald Trump administration has been accused of trying to “erase” an entire group of people from history.
‘Unthinkable’: Trump causes riot in Russia
He’s never been shy about shaking up US foreign policy, but Donald Trump’s latest move has left Putin’s most loyal propagandists struggling to keep it together.