Biden Largely Mum on Trump's Effort to Reverse Election

President-elect Joe Biden is mostly steering clear of the controversy engulfing President Donald Trump's final days in office, reportedly intent on projecting the different approach to governing Americans can expect when he moves into the White House on Jan. 20.

Biden and his team have offered a muted response to Trump’s efforts to overturn the election, which intensified this past weekend when he pressured Georgia's Republican secretary of state to “find” enough votes to flip the state in his favor.

While some Democrats say Trump's actions merit new impeachment proceedings, Biden has been more circumspect. He didn't address the matter Monday afternoon on his way to Georgia, where he'll campaign for two Democratic Senate candidates. His senior adviser and campaign lawyer, Bob Bauer, offered only a brief written statement decrying Trump’s “assault on American democracy.”

The low-key approach is in keeping with Biden’s overall strategy to focus on preparing to assume the presidency even as Trump looks to cast doubt on the election results, alleging massive fraud.

“The country is ready to move forward, and President-elect Biden is going to remain focused on the work ahead of us in completing a successful transition and putting together an administration that will get this virus under control and build our economy back better,” said Biden adviser Kate Bedingfield.

Biden’s aides believe Americans outside Washington want to hear more about how the Biden presidency will help them and less about partisanship.

So while Biden has chosen his moments to weigh in on Trump’s attacks on the election results — he delivered a speech denouncing Trump’s actions after the Electoral College certified his win in mid-December — he’s largely focused on his Cabinet nominees and fleshing out his response to the pandemic.

And while some Democrats on Capitol Hill have raised the prospect of impeachment, Democratic leadership has emphasized that the party’s focus is on Biden’s agenda rather than on Trump’s malfeasance.

“We’re not looking backward. We’re looking forward to the inauguration of Joe Biden on January 20th,” said House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries during a press conference Monday.

But some Democrats warn that there are risks to staying above the fray.

Jim Manley, a former longtime Senate Democratic leadership aide, said the party's failure to take on Trump's recent moves could set the tone for Biden’s presidency and beyond.

“The risk is that it affirms for not only future presidents, but also Republicans in the House and the Senate, that there are no consequences for breaking the rules,” he said. “The fear is that doing nothing will embolden Republicans, some of whom were teetering on the edge of sedition to ramp up their efforts to undermine Biden’s presidency.”

Trump has indicated he has no plans to go away quietly, floating a possible 2024 run, blanketing social media with incendiary posts and threatening Republicans who break with his complaints about the election results. He's certain to continue to marshal his sizable base in support of his post-presidential plans — or in opposition to Biden's.

And while Democrats on Capitol Hill publicly emphasize the need to stay focused on Biden's proposals, they privately express concerns about the tone they say Republicans are setting for the Biden presidency by protesting the certification of his win.

According to Democratic strategist Andrew Feldman, the prospect of continued obstruction from Republicans and complaints about the legitimacy of Biden's presidency make it all the more important that Biden stay laser-focused on enacting his agenda even in the middle of the political din.

“The Republicans aren’t going to let up here. We’re going to be dealing with a narrative for the next four years about Biden being an illegitimate president,” he said. “We are going to have to combat that — not only with messaging, but with real results that help the American people.”