When Trump won the 2016 election, many near me in lower Manhattan chanted “Not my president.” I criticized them then and I criticize people who don’t accept Trump losing now. I was open to their claims of fraud and waited for them to show evidence. They haven’t, so, while I’m open to new evidence, I conclude they made up their claims.

I repeat to them the sentiment I wrote in my November 17, 2016 post If you voted for Hillary Clinton, face it, you lost, which began:

I’m sympathetic to people who wanted Hillary Clinton to win. I didn’t want Trump either.

But I’ve read the Constitution and it’s very clear.

If you believe Hillary Clinton was the most qualified candidate, I suggest you read the Constitution, Article 2. It clearly states the qualifications for the office—mainly to be

– A naturally born citizen,

– at least 35 years old,

– having lived in the country for 14 years,

– not having served two terms already, and

– having won the electoral college vote.

That’s it. We all knew the rules before. Hillary Clinton got four out of five of those qualifications, but not the fifth. Donald Trump got all five.

Biden got all five. I wish Trump’s supporters accepted, even celebrated, the outcome now, as they will have to soon.

Two pieces in the National Review, which I understand leans conservative, clarified beyond any doubt to me, absent new evidence, that I can trust the outcome that in Trump’s terms is a landslide, though for Biden:

• ‘It Must Have Been Stolen’: Debunking a Myth
• A Whopper of an Election-Rigging Claim: No, there is not a 68 percent error rate in Dominion voting machines.

A third National Review piece, Disgrace after Defeat, summarized:

It had long been obvious that if Trump lost the election, his exit would be graceless. . . It’s not surprising that Trump would disgrace himself after an election loss; it is remarkable that he’s done it this grotesquely, and with so many who should know better effectively aiding and abetting him.

Richard III: “A horse! A horse! My kingdom of a horse!”

In my August 16, 2017 piece I predict Donald Trump will have a Richard III moment, I wrote

I predict that Donald Trump will, as president, find himself without allies, under attack, and bewildered, lashing out, realizing he’s run out of anything to offer anyone. This will come after he’s surrounded by sycophants, maybe family, abandoned by anyone who could get anything from him.

Without having supported anyone who would help him for reasons other than what he offers and with no way to advance or to offer in a transaction, no one will help him out of empathy or compassion.

My prediction seems to be playing out, documents the Washington Post’s piece Even as Trump vows to keep fighting, his aides are quietly starting to move on. Some passages from it sound sad and pathetic, which it pains me to see for the President of my nation:

As President Trump remains defiant, refusing to publicly acknowledge that he lost the Nov. 3 election, all signs around the White House point to a four-year whirlwind coming to an end. Aides are quietly lining up next jobs, friends are wrangling last-minute favors and Cabinet secretaries are giving exit interviews. . .

There is no serious planning for a second term, and four officials say the West Wing is far more dormant than it once was, with aides spending their days on job interviews or working from home. The outer Oval Office, once a constant hubbub of traffic angling to see the president, no longer thrums with the same energy.

Aides are frantically looking for jobs outside the West Wing, according to headhunters and consultants, but they’re fearful of getting fired if they are caught before Jan. 20. Some are just leaving. Staff secretary Derek Lyons and communications director Alyssa Farah are among the high-profile departures.

A number of the campaign’s top officials — including campaign manager Bill Stepien — have all but disappeared from the orbit, aides say. . .

These days, Trump is spending most of his time in the residence, phoning allies, according to four people who have been in touch with him, and falsely tweeting that he won the election. He has called state lawmakers to encourage them to promote his claims, startling legislators unaccustomed to having the president of the United States on the other end of the line. . .

He is dialing allies looking for good news, relying on information from supporters such as Rep. Andy Biggs, an Arizona Republican. He is constantly asking advisers what options are left — from flipping electors to pressuring House members and senators, officials say. . .

Most evenings, the president does not speak at the White House holiday parties, disappointing those who flew across the country to attend. Guests at a recent party were told after 8:00 that he would not be coming down, two attendees said.

One adviser, who requested anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said Trump is “low-key pissed off all the time” and truly believes the race was stolen from him.

Some of the president’s top aides are urging him to stop litigating 2020.

He’s filling the swamp, in his terms. With more than a month, if his political allies openly call him disgraceful and worse, I shudder to consider what he’ll descend to. I hope the Secret Service doesn’t have to forcibly remove him and I hope he doesn’t injure himself.

I also shudder how he’ll respond to the litigation coming his way after he leaves office. He still represents America, even when he becomes a former President.

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