Ross: Denial is still in style when it comes to election results

I think we all have to accept that for many of our neighbors, at this time in our history, Donald Trump has never lost an election.

And it’s unfair to try to trick his supporters into saying otherwise.

But some members of the media, like ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, insist on asking the question. Yesterday, he put it to House Speaker Mike Johnson.

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“Can you say unequivocally that Joe Biden won the 2020 election and Donald Trump lost?” Stephanopoulos asked Johnson.

“See, this is the game that is always played by mainstream media with leading Republicans,” Johnson responded. “It’s it’s a gotcha game.”

Come on, George. Where do you come up with these impossible questions? He’s only the Speaker of the House! Not Einstein! How is he supposed to know this stuff?

In fairness, Speaker Johnson had no trouble answering the follow-up question.

“What will you do next Jan. 6 if you are indeed Speaker? If every state completes the certification process successfully, will you accept the results?” Stephanopoulos asked. “Even if Kamala Harris is the winner?”

“George, I’m going to follow the Constitution. Article Two of the Constitution is very clear,” Johnson answered. “Congress has a very specific role, and we must fulfill it. I’ve made a career defending the Constitution. I always have, and I’ve demonstrated over and over that we are going to do the right and lawful thing. So you can count on that. We’re going to do our job.”

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So there’s your guarantee – he’ll do his job even if Harris wins and Trump loses. Although that raises the question – if he’s still not willing to say Trump lost four years ago, even though 60 court cases upheld the results, how would he be sure Trump lost this time?

But that would be a gotcha question, wouldn’t it?

Listen to Seattle’s Morning News with Dave Ross and Colleen O’Brien weekday mornings from 5-9 a.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

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