It's official, former Vice-President Joe Biden has been elected the 46th President of the United States of America. This week, the Electoral College voted in favor of Biden, cementing his future in the White House for the next four years. That is, if all goes well. For those of us who believe in democracy, Biden's confirmation comes as no surprise. He did, after all, surpass the 270 electoral votes needed to secure the U.S. presidency.
However, certain individuals had difficulty with the news, creating a broad and embarrassing spectacle of themselves. And by certain individuals, I mean our current president. For weeks, Donald Trump alluded to false allegations of potential voter fraud, urging state officials to recount all votes. Normally, when a new president is elected, the former accepts the decision and concedes respectfully. But if we've learned anything within the last four years, it's that Donald Trump is far from normal.
Not only does he continue to believe he won the 2020 election, Trump is now refusing to vacate the White House on Inauguration Day. For some reason, the image of a child throwing a tantrum in a grocery store because his mom refused to buy him a candy bar invades my mind. I guess the circumstances are somewhat similar.
If this weren't incredibly embarrassing to our nation, it would be comical. Considering how humiliating it is that our current president can't accept defeat, well, there's nothing humorous about it. But the question on everyone's mind is: what will actually happen if Trump chooses not to vacate the White House premises come January 20th? The answer is very simple.
READ: Why Trump choosing not to concede after Biden's win is a disgrace to our democracy
Presidential power often passes from one candidate to another seamlessly. However, America has not experienced a president quite like Donald J Trump.
Considering the White House officially gave Biden permission to begin the transition process, and the Electoral College finalized their decision, there's really only one thing that can happen. If Trump refuses to vacate, Secret Service have no choice but to intervene and physically remove him from the property.
"As we said on July 19th, the American people will decide this election," Biden's team mention in a statement back in November. "And the United States government is perfectly capable of escorting trespassers out of the White House."
This has never occurred within the United States. However, should Trump hold true to his word, there is a plan in place. The 20th Amendment clearly states the term of each president ends precisely at noon on January 20. Once Biden is given his inauguration address and sworn in, he will have authority to enact the Secret Service to order the physical removal of Trump from the White House.
So essentially, the men once tasked with protecting Trump, will have no choice but to evict him. If that's not poetic justice, I don't know what is.
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