Dec 13, 2020 - Politics & Policy

GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander: Trump should "put the country first" and congratulate Biden

Orion Rummler

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) called on President Trump to accept his defeat in the election on "Meet the Press" Sunday, adding that there should be no doubt Joe Biden won after the Electoral College votes for the president and vice president on Monday.

What he's saying: "It looks very much like the electors will vote for Joe Biden," Alexander said. "And when they do, I hope that he puts the country first — I mean, the president — that he takes pride in his considerable accomplishments, that he congratulates the president-elect and he helps him get off to a good start, especially in the middle of this pandemic."

"We need to not lose one day in the transition in getting the vaccine out to everybody who needs it."

The big picture: While 125 House Republicans backed a Texas lawsuit rejected by the Supreme Court on Friday that sought to invalidate votes in four battleground states, no GOP senators signed the widely circulated "friend of the court" brief in support of the effort, per Politico.

Alexander said Sunday he's "having a hard time figuring out the basis for that lawsuit," adding that Texas has no right to tell other states how to run their elections.

"That doesn't sound like a very Republican argument to me. Republicans believe that states are in charge of elections," Alexander said.

Of note: Alexander added that he wished Trump would follow the lead of Al Gore, who ultimately conceded and accepted the outcome of the 2000 election after a drawn-out legal battle.

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GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander: Trump should "put the country first" and congratulate Biden

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