Trump floating multiple unlikely survival scenarios as he weighs political future: report
The conversations come as Trump has refused to concede the presidential election to Joe Biden, pushing ahead with a legal battle over validity of ballots
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}President Trump has floated multiple unlikely scenarios of political survival to his advisers as he refuses to concede the presidential election to former Vice President Joe Biden, according to a report.
Following a meeting at the White House on Wednesday, Trump reportedly pressed his advisers on whether Republican-controlled state legislatures in states that went for Biden could pick pro-Trump electors in order to sway the vote and give Trump the votes he needs for a second term, people briefed on the discussion told The New York Times.
The sources noted that the conversation was not detailed, serious or reflective of any obsessive desire for Trump to remain in the White House.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“He knows it’s over,” one source told the Times.
But while there's no master plan or overall strategy, Trump is reportedly seeing how far he can go against his defeat in order to ensure continued support from his base.
A scenario Trump has reportedly looked at with serious consideration is an announcement that he plans to run again in 2024.
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Regardless of whether he would actually follow through, the move could put a wrench in the plans of other potential Republican candidates. Republicans told the Times the move would keep the wide support Trump showed even in defeat, and could also guarantee Trump a lucrative book deal or speaking fees.
Trump has reportedly told some advisers that if the presidential race is certified for Biden, the president will announce a 2024 campaign shortly afterward.
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The other scenario, which the president appears to be running with, is an effort to delay certification of the election results through recently filed lawsuits, the Times reports, though it remained unclear who was leading the legal strategy.
Trump's advisers have reportedly seen his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, as a source of enormous frustration, noting that they've tried to tell the president the claims of fraud Giulani is offering to prove simply are not valid. Trump is also getting suggestions from other legal counsel, including Sidney Powell, the lawyer for his former national security adviser Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Advisers have reportedly pushed the president to stop talking about "fraud" due to the legal implications of the term that his team has not yet been able to back up. As a result, Trump has instead taken to calling the election “rigged.”
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The Times report comes following the president's latest claim on Twitter on Thursday that Dominion Voting Systems deleted 2.7 million Trump votes nationwide.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Dominion spokesperson told FOX News that it "categorically denies any claims about any vote switching or alleged software issues" with its voting systems.
"Our systems continue to reliably and accurately count ballots, and state and local election authorities have publicly confirmed the integrity of the process," the spokeserspon added.
A White House spokesperson did not immediately return FOX News' request for comment on the Times report.