By Koo Lap

This past Monday, electors from the 50 states and Washington DC voted for Biden to be elected president, with 306 against 232 votes. On the Friday prior, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Texas’ petition for overturning the election results of Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin by an overwhelming ratio of 7:2. Before this, Trump’s team had filed 50 lawsuits in an attempt to reverse the results, but almost all to no avail. At this stage, whether Trump is willing to admit defeat, all procedures have been exhausted. Biden is set to move into the White House on January 20.

However, Trump’s unwillingness to admit defeat is not entirely unreasonable. Biden’s votes undoubtedly exceeded those of Trump’s by 7 million. In terms of electoral votes, that was a tie with Trump’s votes in 2016; Trump would only need 41,560 votes from the states of Arizona, Georgia, and Wisconsin to turn the result of the electoral votes around to get a win. Losing to such a small margin, how is Trump to be convinced that he has lost? The three judges in the Supreme Court, though were appointed by Trump, do things according to the law and not friendship. It is a demonstration of the independence of the judiciary and the soundness of the constitution. Needless to say, this is much more important than the result of the four-year presidential election.

Yes, one can always have a comeback. Although it is hopeless to reverse the verdict, the constitution does not require him to concede. Some fans suggested that on the day of Biden’s inauguration, Trump should hold a rally in his stronghold, Florida, to build momentum for a comeback four years later. Whether he will do so is still unknown. But during his four years in office, Trump has never been predictable, even at the very last minute. Who would have expected that before the election has an official result, he has, without a word, fired the defense minister who was not on good terms with him, granted amnesty to his former chief executive, promoted the establishment of diplomatic ties with Israel and Arab countries at full speed, and vowed to veto the national defense authorization law…he is in absolutely no way looking like a defeated lame duck.

Even more surprising is that almost at the time of the electoral college voting, Attorney General William Barr announced his resignation before Christmas Eve. Such a momentous move with less than a month remaining in office, it asks for speculation as to whether this is related to the Biden father and son scandal exposed during the election. Trump’s supporters have been blaming Barr’s FBI for its unwillingness to follow up with the Biden scandal as being an indirect boost to Biden’s camp during the election. In order to maintain the independence of the judiciary, Barr insisted not to intervene high-profile to avoid being seen as interference with the election. Whether he was fired because of the election loss, or it is a statement to preserve his reputation, it is hard to tell. What is certain is that while hastily stepping down, Barr’s praises towards Trump are unabated. In his resignation letter, he has carefully listed out many of Trump’s achievements in these four years:

Political opponents never accepted Trump as the president. They have been attacking him as soon as he took over, and even attempted to use the so-called “Russia Gate” impeachment to try to paralyze the operation of the government. Not only has Trump fended off such an unprecedented attack, but has actively created the strongest economy in history, one that was unmatched by all of his predecessors. He has reorganized the army, helped Israel break through the isolation deadlock and created unimaginable peace in the Middle East. By blocking illegal immigrants, he has consolidated the borders. He has appointed a record number of judges based on the Constitution, and developed a vaccine for the Wuhan virus in record speed. He has stopped China’s economic erosion…

Though there is a separation of the three powers, governance is not something that can be transferred by the president alone. Barr’s list of achievements shows that Trump has still delivered brilliant results despite being surrounded by enemies, which shows his strength and perseverance. His implementation of substantial tax cuts and removing bureaucratic interference has won the hearts of many. When Biden enters the White House, it will not be difficult for him to revise the policy by increasing taxes and intervention. Whether it can be done will depend on whether the Democratic Party can check and balance policies, and veto the appointment of key cabinet officials in the Senate. The Republican Party currently has 50 seats in the Senate, and the Democrats have 48. Georgia will elect two federal senators on January 5. If the Democratic Party can get both seats, Biden is expected to start amending policies. If each party takes one seat, or if the Republicans take both, Trump’s policies will remain unchanged.

Barr’s list of Trump’s political achievement has not mentioned Trump’s concern for Hong Kong. The U.S.-Hong Kong relations have got close. Most of the Chinese workers involved in the development of the California gold mines and the construction of the North American Continental Railway came from Hong Kong, and in its trade with China, the U.S. has always used Hong Kong as an intermediary. As early as 1862, President Roosevelt’s mother had lived in Hong Kong with her businessman father for three years. Years ago, Trump has been to Hong Kong to fundraise with Henry Cheng Kar-shun and Vincent Lo Hong-shui, and has a first-hand experience with Hong Kong. Of all 45 U.S. presidents, he is the only one who has spoken out for Hong Kong at the United Nations General Assembly. Biden’s understanding of Hong Kong is undoubtedly lacking compared to Trump, but given the profound relationship between Hong Kong and the U.S., now that the Pearl of the Orient is shrouded in dust, how can he not be concerned? In the next four years, Hong Kong is not going to disappear from the White House’s radar.

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