Election Day was more than a month ago. Experts have reached the conclusion that voter fraud was not an issue this election. So why is the Trump administration still insisting that it is?

With the tight race this year, a recount of votes is completely valid and brings peace of mind to the general population. However, the continued disputes raise already high tensions even higher.

Recently, Rudy Giuliani, who is the president’s lead attorney, alleged that, not only was there widespread voter fraud, but that it was nationally coordinated. The rest of the president’s legal team echoes these sentiments and continues to insist on the existence of fraud.

But in court, it’s a different story. The professional ethics rules bind those under oath to tell the truth, and when under these oaths, the Trump lawyers don’t claim fraud.

In a Pennsylvania case, Trump lawyer Jonathan Goldstein tried to dodge the question on whether he was alleging fraud. When the judge asked him explicitly, “Are you claiming that there is any fraud in connection with these 592 disputed ballots?,” Goldstein said, “To my knowledge at present, no.”

In a separate Pennsylvania case, Trump’s lawyers signed a stipulation saying, “Petitioners do not allege, and there is no evidence of, any fraud in connection with the challenged ballots.” In the stipulation, the attorneys also signed their agreement that they don’t allege or have evidence of “misconduct” or “impropriety” in connection with the challenged ballots.

In an Arizona case, Trump lawyer Kory Langhofer admitted to a judge that “We are not alleging fraud in this lawsuit. We are not alleging anyone stealing the election.” The statement came on a day that Trump was tweeting about hundreds of thousands of votes being stolen from him.

If even his lawyers are admitting that they are not alleging fraud, then why keep claiming that in public?

Trump’s resistance to concede to President-elect Joe Biden only worsens the country’s political polarization. Times of transition are already vulnerable and tense, and the baseless claims of fraud and refusals to concede heighten the anxiety.

The constant barrage of unfounded claims is ignorant and insensitive in light of the pandemic — one that only seems to be getting worse. Trump can disagree with the unanimous decisions of experts and complain about the unfairness of the election. He can even go on a 46-minute tirade about voter fraud without providing any evidence of voter fraud. But the more he does so, the more he reasserts why the majority of American voters didn’t choose him. There are bigger issues going on in this country — issues that are quite literally killing Americans — and Trump can’t stop thinking about himself.

Kayla Mayer can be reached at maye8518@stthomas.edu.