US election 2020: Desks empty, Trump fuming as White House mood turns dark, reports say

Reports emerging from inside the White House paint a grim and chaotic picture as reality dawns and Trump’s anger boils.

Placards decorate a fence surrounding Lafayette Square in front of the White House in Washington, DC on November 6. Picture: AFP

The mood in the White House is increasingly dark and chaotic, as staffers face up to the unpleasant fact that they will probably be out of a job within days, US media reports.

While those close to Donald Trump, such as counsellor Hope Hicks are focused on “managing his anger,” most are only now coming to the realisation that they’re about to be back on the jobs market.

Mr Trump is visibly angry and frustrated, glued to television, tweeting and complaining that not enough people are defending his claim that the election is being stolen from him, CNN’s White House correspondent reports. Close Trump aide Rudy Giuliani and Chief of Staff Mark Meadows are reportedly enabling the president in that belief, which West Wing staffers are finding unhelpful.

But others have already started looking for another job. With Mr Trump appearing indestructible — particularly after his brush with coronavirus — many had been swept up in his certainty that he would be returned to the presidency and had not considered the alternative, CNN reports.

However the atmosphere is now sombre and a number of staffers have not even bothered to show up to work.

“A lot of the desks are empty. It feels spooky. Some of the staffers are outside the White House, talking privately on their mobile phones and walking around,” a CBS White House correspondent said.

Usually White House staff can move on to well remunerated positions elsewhere — but Trump White House staffers who have gone back into the jobs market have found it difficult.

Mr Trump has spent part of the day in the Oval Office.

Hope Hicks, senior adviser to the president, is reportedly focused on managing his anger.

Aides told the broadcaster he would likely go back before the cameras if Mr Biden speaks again, as his campaign has said he would.

Meanwhile Vice-President Mike Pence is busy on the phone trying to drum up funds for Mr Trump’s inevitable appeal over the final result.

It comes as Joe Biden widens his lead in Georgia, with the latest count giving him a margin of over 4000 votes.

But some good news for Mr Trump, as he steadily eats into Joe Biden’s lead in Arizona. The state is still counting its ballots as Mr Biden’s lead narrows to just 39,769 – a margin of just 1.27 per cent.

The state still has an estimated 250,000 to 270,000 unaccounted ballots left to count, according to Secretary of State Katie Hobbs.

Ms Hobbs told CNN 137,000 of those ballots were in Maricopa County, in normal times a Republican stronghold.

“They have been doing about 60,000 to 70,000 at a time” Ms Hobbs said. “They have told us they expect to be counting through the weekend and should have pretty much everything except for provisional ballots wrapped up this weekend.”

Meanwhile Joe Biden has spent the day at home with family and senior advisers.