FACT CHECK: Trump relies on falsehoods to deny Biden win

Washington, Nov 14: President Donald Trump rebelled this past week against Democrat Joe Biden''s victory in the presidential election with denial, delay and outright misrepresentation. Trump raged about widespread cases of fake ballots that aren''t so and undertook legal challenges that even state GOP election officials say can''t overcome Biden''s lead.

As the coronavirus surged nationwide, Trump said little about public safety measures. Instead he tried to take full credit for drugmaker Pfizer Inc.''s news that its COVID-19 vaccine may be 90 per cent effective and suggested the mission was basically done.

His assertions on both matters are untrue.

A review:

ELECTION

GEORGIA

TRUMP: "Georgia will be a big presidential win, as it was the night of the Election!" - tweet Monday.

THE FACTS: Georgia wasn''t a win for Trump on election night. It still isn''t. He''s falsely suggesting that any ballot counted after November 3 in Georgia and other states must be illegitimate and illegal. In fact, such counting is explicitly allowed in about 20 states, and the Supreme Court did not stand in the way of it.

Trump refused to concede and said he will press his legal challenges, despite seeing several lawsuits dismissed by courts.

Studies have repeatedly shown that voter fraud is exceptionally rare. Currently Biden leads Trump in Georgia by 14,000 votes.

The state''s top election official, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, has repeatedly assured the public there were no widespread problems.

"Was there illegal voting? I''m sure there was, and my office is investigating all of it," Raffensperger said. "Does it rise to the numbers or margin necessary to change the outcome to where President Trump is given Georgia''s electoral votes? That is unlikely."

PENNSYLVANIA

TRUMP: "Pennsylvania ... wouldn''t let our Poll Watchers & Observers into counting rooms. Illegal!" - tweet Thursday.

TRUMP: "Pennsylvania prevented us from watching much of the Ballot count. Unthinkable and illegal in this country." - tweet Monday.

THE FACTS: His assertion is false.

Trump is wholly misrepresenting a court case in the state and what happened at voting places. No one tried to ban poll watchers representing each side in the election. Democrats did not try to stop Republican representatives from being able to observe the process.

The main issue in the case was how close observers representing the parties could get to election workers who were processing mail-in ballots in Philadelphia. Trump''s representatives sued to allow the observers to get closer than the guidelines had allowed. A court ruled in favour of that request.

CALIFORNIA

TRUMP, tweeting a video widely shared on social media pointing to alleged voter fraud in California: "You are looking at BALLOTS! Is this what our Country has come to?" - tweet Wednesday.

THE FACTS: Trump''s suggestion of voting fraud or impropriety is a gross distortion. The video, which shows two men collecting ballots from collection boxes the day after the election, does not show evidence of anything nefarious.

TRUMP: "WATCH FOR MASSIVE BALLOT COUNTING ABUSE." - tweet Tuesday.

TRUMP: "WE WILL WIN!" - tweet Tuesday.

THE FACTS: He''s making unsubstantiated claims. There is no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. In fact, election officials from both political parties have stated publicly that the election went well and international observers confirmed there were no serious irregularities.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which led federal election protection efforts, said Thursday it had no evidence that any voting system had deleted or lost votes, had changed votes, or was in any way compromised.

The officials said all of the states with close results have paper records, which allows for the recounting of each ballot, if necessary, and for "the identification and correction of any mistakes or errors." "America, we have confidence in the security of your vote, you should, too," tweeted Chris Krebs, the agency''s director.

VACCINE

TRUMP, on Pfizer''s announcement: "As soon as April, the vaccine will be available to the entire general population with the exception of places like New York state where for political reasons the governor decided to say - and I don''t think it''s good politically, I think it''s very bad from a health standpoint - but he wants to take his time with a vaccine. ... We can''t be delivering it to a state that won''t be giving it to its people immediately." - remarks Friday.

THE FACTS: That''s a misrepresentation. New York''s separate review doesn''t guarantee a protracted delay.

Trump is referring to a state panel of experts that Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D-N.Y., announced in September to review any coronavirus vaccine authorized by the Food and Drug Administration before it is to be distributed in the state.

That additional review doesn''t necessarily mean weeks of delay before New York residents can get a federally approved vaccine. As a practical matter, the FDA will have a public meeting where its independent advisers debate the data. That''s an opportunity for any interested group to get an early look.

Cuomo, speaking Friday on CNN, said that as soon as the FDA acts, the state review group would, too.

"There will be no delay," he said.

with PTI inputs