Donald Trump after a press conference at the White House on Covid-19, November 13, 2020. -
E.VUCCI / AP / SIPA
From our correspondent in the United States,
The hour is ticking, and hopes are dwindling for Donald Trump.
While many states must certify the results of the presidential election of November 3 in the coming days, the American president is playing his survival.
On Tuesday, he recorded a major setback in Michigan, with the certification of Detroit's results, and his lawyer Rudy Giuliani is far from shining before a judge in Pennsylvania.
Michigan: Detroit results certified
The American president thought he had a victory that would have rekindled the suspense in Michigan.
In the afternoon, a commission from Wayne County (mainly the city of Detroit) initially refused to certify the results of the poll, with the opposition of two Republican officials.
In the early evening, Donald Trump rejoices on Twitter: “Wow!
Michigan has just refused to certify the election results.
To have courage is a wonderful thing.
The USA are proud!
"
Wow!
Michigan just refused to certify the election results!
Having courage is a beautiful thing.
The USA stands proud!
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 18, 2020
His joy does not last.
Less than an hour later, the news broke: after a heated virtual meeting in which many residents of an 80% black city accused Republican officials of seeking to overturn nearly 200,000 votes, the board agreed to validate the results, against the promise of a future audit.
Now, Joe Biden, who has nearly 150,000 votes in advance in Michigan, is assured of victory, with a certification of the results expected on November 23.
Pennsylvania: Difficult audience for Rudy Giuliani
It is the last resort.
After the resignation of two lawyers representing the campaign of Donald Trump, it is his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, who arrived in reinforcement before the judge.
But "Mister Mayor" had not pleaded in federal court since 1992, and it was felt.
After having denounced "a massive national fraud", he was forced to admit it in front of a doubtful magistrate: this recourse "is not a complaint for fraud".
Giuliani spent most of the time arguing that campaign volunteers couldn't observe the count closely enough.
Except that his predecessors withdrew this grievance from the lawsuit, and at the same time, on Tuesday, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that there had been no problem on that front.
In short, a bad day for the former mayor of New York, to whom the judge gave 24 hours to present his evidence, with a decision expected by Friday.
At present, even if some ballots were rejected, by decision of the judge or the Supreme Court of the United States, it would probably not be enough, given the gap, to prevent Pennsylvania from certifying its results by November 23.
Georgia: The recount ends, Donald Trump progresses thanks to forgotten ballots
For Donald Trump, it is a ray of hope that may not be enough.
Two counties, Fayette and Floyd, found more than 5,000 votes that had not been counted, in particular with a memory card from a machine that had not been uploaded.
This benefits the American president, who obtained 1,500 votes more than Joe Biden, with a gap that drops from 14,000 to 12,500 votes in favor of the Democrat.
But unless there is a twist by the end of the recount on Wednesday evening, the outgoing president should not be able to catch up, with results which must be certified by Friday.
Arizona: "No evidence of fraud," says Republican official
The count is now over, and the gap has narrowed to just 10,500 votes in favor of Joe Biden.
But in Arizona, there is no automatic recount, and Republican elected officials are trying to block in court the certification of the results of the gigantic Maricopa County (Phoenix).
On Tuesday, an Election Commission official, who is also a Republican, said there was "no evidence of fraud or impropriety."
However, verifications must still last a few days, before certification expected by November 30.
Wisconsin: Donald Trump has until Wednesday evening to request a recount
Wisconsin is the third tightest state, with a 20,000 vote lead for Joe Biden.
On paper, Donald Trump can ask for a recount because the difference is less than 1 point.
He assured that he was going to demand one, but no appeal had been filed on Tuesday, with a deadline set at 5 p.m. on Wednesday.
The bill would be steep, with a cost of $ 7.9 million that his campaign would have to settle.
Wisconsin has until December 1 to certify its results.
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