Republican Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander sparred with NBC anchor Chuck Todd on Sunday morning’s “Meet the Press” about President Donald Trump so far refusing to formally concede to President-elect Joe Biden.
The back-and-forth centered around the Tennessee senator comparing Trump’s refusal to admit defeat to former Democratic Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, who lost her 2018 race to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp yet still hasn’t formally conceded.
Noting Trump’s lack of a formal concession and continued calls to overturn the results, Todd began the interview segment by asking Alexander if it’s “about time for this to stop.”
Alexander predicted that it “should stop” when the Electoral College formally certifies the results on Monday, but recalled the 2000 election to suggest it’s “not unprecedented to contest an election.”
WATCH:
Todd dismissed comparisons to 2000 as a “strawman,” but Alexander pushed back to suggest that, while the circumstances aren’t exactly the same, “it’s fair to allow candidates to contest elections if they want to, if they have evidence.”
“But when it’s over, it needs to be over,” Alexander said, expressing hope that Trump would eventually concede.
“I don’t remember these same comments four years ago on Hillary Clinton should get more time and all of this stuff. Do you see why it looks like a double standard?” Todd asked.
“What about Stacey Abrams’ concession speech? Have you found it yet?” Alexander shot back. “That was two years ago, Chuck. She was defeated by more votes than the governor and why don’t you say something about that instead of keep talking about Trump?”
“I’m not here to talk about Stacey Abrams,” said Todd. “I’m not covering that race and that’s her decision and I think that’s …”
“Why aren’t you covering that race?” Alexander asked.
Todd admitted that it’s a question that “deserves to be asked,” then slammed so-called “whataboutism” that attempts to “dismiss the president’s behavior.”
“But I would think if you’re going to talk about Donald Trump all the time, you might mention Stacey Abrams once,” said the Tennessee senator, who is retiring after three terms. “After all, Georgia is where the Senate races are.” (RELATED: Tucker Carlson Says ‘Vacuous Idiot’ Ocasio-Cortez Could Win The Presidency In 2024 If Wealth Gap Keeps Expanding)
“Georgia is mentioned all the time,” said Todd. “I’m not here to debate that.”
“Well, why aren’t you?” Alexander said. “I have consistently said that if the president loses, and it appears that he will, when the electors vote, he should put the country first, take pride in his accomplishments, congratulate Joe Biden and help him off to a good start, especially because of the vaccine.”