President Trump offered less-than-enthusiastic endorsement of his team’s legal strategy in phone calls with some of his allies on Wednesday, sounding resigned to the plan falling short and questioning why his team hadn’t successfully challenged voting rules before the election even as he remained willing to see it through.
According to a person who spoke to Trump, the President seemed tired after spending the night watching election returns at the White House.
Trump spoke to several of his supporters behind closed doors at the White House as his team mobilized to begin the post-Election Day effort.
The President told one person he was willing to let the legal maneuvering proceed but suggested he did not believe it would be successful in the end.
While he said he believes he will win in Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Georgia, Trump was skeptical at the lawsuits filed by his team.
Trump hinted at his views in a tweet on Wednesday afternoon: “Our lawyers have asked for ‘meaningful access’, but what good does that do?” he wrote from the White House.
“The damage has already been done to the integrity of our system, and to the Presidential Election itself. This is what should be discussed!”
Trump’s campaign has been feverishly soliciting funds for the legal effort on its email list. After Trump’s tweet, one campaign adviser questioned why the President would undercut the effort at the same moment he is seeking new money to support it.