President Donald Trump has bruised but not undermined the integrity of the nation’s electoral process by challenging the election results, Gov. Phil Scott said Friday.
The governor said he was confident that Democrat Joe Biden was the legitimate winner.
A recent Reuters poll found 52 percent of Republicans thought Trump had “rightfully won” the election, but was robbed because of widespread voter fraud. The poll showed 29 percent of Republicans viewed Biden as the rightful winner.
The governor’s comments Friday came one day after Trump said he would honor the results of the Electoral College and move from the White House if Biden is selected. Trump said it will be difficult to concede because he disputes the Nov. 3 results.
The electors in the Electoral College are scheduled to meet Dec. 14. The results show Biden with a lead of 306-232 among the electors. Each state has electors based on the number of Congressional seats plus the two senators. Vermont has three Electoral College votes and Biden easily won the state.
Scott, a Republican, voted for Biden. At a press conference Friday, the governor said it was time for all to move on, accept the results of the election and focus on pressing issues including fighting the pandemic.
“I think he’s put it into question,” Scott said of Trump’s actions and comments and their effect on the nations’ confidence in the election system. “But I think as time moves on, we will move on as well.”
He added: “I don’t think it undermined it, but it did, it did put a bit of a bruise on it.”
Shortly after the election, Scott said Trump’s attempts to challenge the results were “absolutely shameful.”
Scott stressed the importance of a smooth presidential transition and the need for the federal government to operate in a coordinated way to deal with the coronavirus crisis, including the expected rollout of a vaccine.
Scott said he didn’t know what more the nation’s governors or the National Governors Association could have done to encourage the president to accept the election results.
