Rick Santorum and Chris Christie lead Republicans criticizing president for falsely declaring win

Several high-profile supporters of Donald Trump including Chris Christie and Rick Santorum condemned the president early on Wednesday morning after he falsely declared victory before all of the votes in key battleground states have been counted.

Christie, the former New Jersey governor who helped Trump prepare for his debates against Joe Biden, told ABC News that ‘there’s just no basis to make that argument tonight.’

‘I talk tonight now not as a former governor but as a former US attorney,’ Christie told an Election Night panel covering the dramatic events.

‘All these votes have to be counted.’

Rick Santorum (left), the Republican former senator from Pennsylvania, and Chris Christie (right), the former New Jersey governor and adviser to President Trump, criticized the president on Wednesday for  prematurely declaring victory

Shortly after Joe Biden said he was confident of winning the contest once the votes are counted, Trump appeared at the White House to declare victory and said his lawyers would be taking his case to the US Supreme Court, without specifying what they would claim

Trump falsely claimed victory over Democratic rival Joe Biden on Wednesday with millions of votes still uncounted in a White House race that will not be decided until a handful of states complete vote-counting over the next hours or days.

One of those states is Pennsylvania, where more than 1 million absentee ballots have yet to be counted.

The entire process, which could take days, may well end up deciding the election.

Shortly after Biden said he was confident of winning the contest once the votes are counted, Trump appeared at the White House to declare victory and said his lawyers would be taking his case to the US Supreme Court, without specifying what they would claim.

‘We were getting ready to win this election. Frankly, we did win this election,’ Trump said.

‘This is a major fraud on our nation. We want the law to be used in a proper manner. So we’ll be going to the US Supreme Court. We want all voting to stop.’

Polls have closed and voting has stopped across the country, but election laws in US states require all votes to be counted, and many states routinely take days to finish counting legal ballots.

More votes stood to be counted this year than in the past as people voted early by mail and in person because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday dealt setbacks to Republicans by allowing extended deadlines for receiving mail-in ballots.

Christie said Trump erred in bringing up the issue on a tense night with the entire country on edge.

‘Tonight was not the time to make this argument,’ the former governor said.

‘It’s gotta be bigger [than politics],’ he said. ‘I disagree with what he did tonight.’

Christie added: ‘There comes a point where you have to let the process play out before you judge it to have been flawed.’

‘By prematurely [declaring victory], if there is a flaw in it later, he has undercut his own credibility in calling attention to that flaw.

House Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican from Illinois, tweeted: ‘Stop. Full stop. The votes will be counted and you will either win or lose. And America will accept that. Patience is a virtue.’

Rich Lowry, the editor of the conservative National Review, said Trump’s speech was ‘bad.’ He noted that Vice President Mike Pence, who in his remarks that he gave after Trump spoke did not support the president’s claims, ‘tried to fix it by saying “on the path to victory,” but there was no unringing the bell.’

‘On top of the sheer irresponsibility of it, Trump contradicted himself on whether he wants the votes to keep being counted or stop being counted,’ Lowry tweeted

‘There is a legitimate case on late-arriving ballots that are going to be counted [because] of the Pennsylvania court improperly re-writing the election rules, but the idea of simply stopping the overall count now in Blue Wall states is obviously bonkers,’ Lowry commented

Piers Morgan, Daily Mail editor-at-large, tweeted: ‘President Trump has just launched an unprecedented assault on American democracy, demanding millions of Americans are denied their votes, & it’s an absolute disgrace.’

Morgan said Trump’s branding of the election as a ‘major fraud’ is ‘unbelievable’ 

Author and podcaster Ben Shapiro tweeted: ‘No, Trump has not already won the election, and it is deeply irresponsible for him to say he has.’

‘So I think it’s a bad strategic decision. It’s a bad political decision.

‘And it’s not the kind of decision you would expect somebody who holds the position he holds to make tonight.’

Santorum, the Republican former senator from Pennsylvania and CNN commentator who is largely sympathetic to Trump, also criticized the president on Wednesday.

‘I was very distressed by what I heard the president say,’ Santorum said.

‘The president is prone, as we all know, to bluster and to fits of pique of being upset about how he is being treated.

‘Using the word “fraud” [to describe] people counting votes is wrong.

‘I understand he sees votes potentially being shifted around in some places, but the reality is what’s happening in Pennsylvania is they’re counting the absentee and mail-in ballots now.’

‘Some counties have stopped counting,’ Santorum said. ‘Why have they stopped counting? Because it’s 2:48 in the morning now.’

‘That’s why they’ve stopped counting. People get tired, they make mistakes, and you stop counting. You take it up the next morning when people are fresh and everybody has a chance to make sure they’re not making mistakes.’

The former senator added: ‘They are not stopping counting because they are trying to fix anything or create any sort of fraud.’

‘There’s plenty of people there – poll watchers and others who are watching the counting.

‘I understand the president’s frustration because some of the states weren’t called as early as he would like, but at the same time he complained about one of the states being called.’

Santorum referred to Arizona, which Fox News called for Biden before any other network or media outlet. The decision angered the Trump campaign, which believes the call was made prematurely.’

Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential candidate, is seen left with his wife, Jill, in Wilmington, Delaware, on Wednesday morning. Biden sounded optimistic about his chances of winning

Santorum said that while Trump may think ‘this is another example of the media treating him unfairly,’ he added that he ‘could not disagree more in this case.’

House Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican from Illinois, tweeted: ‘Stop. Full stop. The votes will be counted and you will either win or lose.

‘And America will accept that. Patience is a virtue.’

Justin Amash, the former Republican member of Congress who left the party because of his opposition to Trump, tweeted: ‘That was one of the most dishonest and despotic speeches ever given by a president of the United States.’

Other conservatives who support Trump also took the president to task.

Author and podcaster Ben Shapiro tweeted: ‘No, Trump has not already won the election, and it is deeply irresponsible for him to say he has.’

Piers Morgan, Daily Mail editor-at-large, tweeted: ‘President Trump has just launched an unprecedented assault on American democracy, demanding millions of Americans are denied their votes, & it’s an absolute disgrace.’ 

Rich Lowry, the editor of the conservative National Review, said Trump’s speech was ‘bad.’

He noted that Vice President Mike Pence, who in his remarks that he gave after Trump spoke did not support the president’s claims, ‘tried to fix it by saying “on the path to victory,” but there was no unringing the bell.’

‘On top of the sheer irresponsibility of it, Trump contradicted himself on whether he wants the votes to keep being counted or stop being counted,’ Lowry tweeted.

‘There is a legitimate case on late-arriving ballots that are going to be counted [because] of the Pennsylvania court improperly re-writing the election rules, but the idea of simply stopping the overall count now in Blue Wall states is obviously bonkers.’