Refusal to concede, severe state of denial

One of the most alarming phenomena that is coming from Trump’s refusal to concede the election has nothing to do with his severe state of denial. We all knew that, if he lost the election, he’d try everything he could to delegitimize the results and need to be dragged out of the White House kicking and screaming.

The real problem exists with the long term effects this behavior will have on the country. By refusing to accept the results of the election, one of the most secure acts of democracy in American history, Trump is sending a message to his base that his opponents somehow rigged it and stole his second term from him.

While the results of the election will not change over the next few weeks, Trump’s influence over his diehard supporters will galvanize an already deep-seated division. Not only will there be a sizable resistance to President-elect Biden, but it is very likely that those supporters will continue to pledge allegiance to the outgoing president.

I don’t want to get all gloom and doom, or push a conspiracy theory, but this could be the start of another civil war in this country. Will there be actual warfare? Not likely, though things could get extremely violent and civil unrest could get exponentially worse.

An ideological civil war has already been taking place over the last several years, so a new wrinkle in political division could cause things to boil over. It isn’t crazy to think that a literal split in the country could be on the horizon.

Hopefully I’m just being paranoid and Trump eventually accepts his defeat, even if that takes place in the form of him being physically removed from the premises. I do, however, think it is a legitimate concern to worry about a large portion of this country believing this election was anything but free and fair.

If Trump is able to garner support for a baseless claim of mass voter fraud, what can he convince them of next?