When Republicans push back on Trump

From ‘Fox & Friends’ co-host Brian Kilmeade to Georgia’s secretary of state, conservatives aren’t necessarily moving in lockstep with President Trump. That’s what democracy is about.

Dear reader:

On “Fox & Friends” Wednesday morning, co-host Brian Kilmeade offered some advice to President Donald Trump – a regular viewer.

"It's in the country's best interest if he starts coordinating on the virus and starts coordinating on security with the Biden team," said Mr. Kilmeade.

For now, President Trump isn’t showing any signs of relenting in his legal fight against the 2020 election results in key battleground states. As we’ve said before, he has the right to do that. But there’s also a major downside to the way Mr. Trump fights, including his torrent of tweets claiming the election was stolen – tweets that have no apparent basis in fact and deepen the nation’s political divide.

Monitor reporter Christa Case Bryant wrote an excellent piece Monday exploring that terrain: the numerous so-far-unsuccessful Trump lawsuits and their potential political impact.

“If what he has done is convince Republican voters and activists that ‘I didn’t really lose,’ that gives him a relevance that Jimmy Carter or George H.W. Bush didn’t possess,” says Henry Olsen of the conservative Ethics and Public Policy Center.

The Kilmeade comment merely makes a practical suggestion: Proceed with transition activities as a protection to Americans, foremost on the pandemic and national security. Mr. Trump need not concede the election to take that step.