Trump needs ‘time’ to process loss, Top Republican says

The former GOP senator also said Democrats should tone down their rhetoric

Rick Santorum, a former top Republican senator, said everyone needs to give the president more time to process his impending election defeat and Democrats should tone it down with their rhetoric.

His comments came in reaction to Mr Biden campaign’s vow to escort Donald Trump from the White House.

“Give people time,” Mr Santorum said on CNN where he is a political commentator. “He’s just found out that he’s probably not going to be the president of the United States here.”

“It’s democracy’s schedule,” fellow host Gloria Borger responded. “It’s not Donald Trump’s.”

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Mr Santorum criticized the Biden campaign for its valedictory turn in messaging. 

The former Vice President has continued to urge patience as all votes are counted, but after hearing Mr Trump has no plans to concede, the campaign said: “The United States government is perfectly capable of escorting trespassers out of the White House.” 

The former GOP senator from Pennsylvania and presidential candidate also said Democrats would have responded similarly by levying charges of voter fraud had they been the ones falling behind.  

“If Joe Biden was going to win by 10 points, and he loses, “Fraud!” This would be the cry of the other side, too.”

Despite Mr Santorum’s defense of the president, he also on Friday criticized the president’s White House anti-concession speech.

“Much of that statement was not factual and was at times incendiary and not something the president of the United States should say,” Mr Santorum said.

“How can you say, ‘We have to wait and count the votes in Arizona, and I can win this thing, but if you count the votes in Philadelphia, you’re stealing them?’ The reality is in Pennsylvania, Democrats voted by mail and Republicans voted in person, and it’s because you asked them to do so.”

Read more: US election results map: Live 2020 updates by state