Donald Trump CANCELS plan to watch Rudy Giuliani claim voter fraud in Gettysburg after yet another of his 'elite strike force' legal team is diagnosed with COVID as his former New York mayor says Trump 'may' have won Virginia
President Donald Trump pulled the plug on a plan to travel to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Wednesday to hear lawyer Rudy Giuliani stitch together claims of voter fraud at a Republican hearing.
White House reporters were preparing to make the journey to the historic town when they suddenly got word that the trip was off.
Just minutes earlier, yet another members of Trump's legal team, Boris Epshteyn, revealed he had tested positive for COVID-10.
Ephshteyn had been at Republican National Committee headquarters for a bizarre press conference last Thursday that included Giuliani, Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis, and attorney Sidney Powell, who the Trump camp now says is not part of its legal effort.
Epshteyn, a campaign advisor who worked briefly in the adminisration, posted on Twitter: 'I have tested positive for COVID-19. I am experiencing mild symptoms, and am following all appropriate protocols, including quarantining and contact tracing.
According to a pool report from reporters designated to follow the president Wednesday: 'The traveling pool was getting ready to leave for Pennsylvania but was told at the last minute that their trip has been canceled.' That report came at 10:50 AM, about 40 minutes after Epshteyn's tweet.
A follow-on report stated: 'There was never a trip on the president's schedule. Still no public events on POTUS schedule.'
The president is said to have insisted on making the trip to Gettysburg for the event l. It will be the first time he has left the Washington DC area since Election Day. Trump is pictured walking ut of the Oval Office to pardon the national Thanksgiving turkey Tuesday
Trump had been expected to join Rudy Giuliani in Gettysburg Wednesday for a hearing on allegations of fraud in the 2020 election.
The president is said to have insisted on making the trip to join his personal attorney at the event set to be held in a local hotel, sources told CNN.
Ellis tweeted Wednesday morning that she was en route to the event with Giuliani. That would mean Giuliani was going despite being exposed to two people in the last week who had tested positive for COVID-19: Epshteyn and Giuliani's son, Andrew.
It will be the first time he has left the Washington DC area since Election Day. Since then he has continued to insist he is not giving up his fight to overturn the results.
The Gettysburg battlefield is the site of one of the bloodiest conflicts of the Civil War. It marked a turning point in the war where the Union army pushed back advancing Confederate soldiers in 1863.
The historic Pennsylvania town is also where President Abraham Lincoln delivered his historic Gettysburg Address, citing the U.S. Declaration of Independence that proclaimed all people are created equal.
Trump's visit was not listed on his daily schedule. White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere said: 'I'd refer you to tomorrow's public schedule. I have no additional updates at this time.'
Donald Trump had been expected to join Rudy Giuliani, pictured, in Gettysburg Wednesday for a hearing on allegations of fraud in the 2020 election
The event is set up to expose 'irregularities' in the election, according to the Trump campaign and Pennsylvania Senate Republicans.
Giuliani said in a statement Tuesday: 'It's in everyone's interest to have a full vetting of election irregularities and fraud.
'And the only way to do this is with public hearings, complete with witnesses, videos, pictures and other evidence of illegalities from the November 3rd election.'
The Trump campaign on Monday said it had set up two more of the hearings in Arizona and Michigan. Trump was also said to be considering traveling to Michigan.
But Republican official in Arizona told Fox News that 'any such hearing' has not been authorized by the Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives.
The historic Pennsylvania town is also where President Abraham Lincoln delivered his historic Gettysburg Address, citing the U.S. Declaration of Independence that proclaimed all people are created equal
And Michigan GOP lawmaker Matt Hall told The Detroit News: 'We've just determined that logistically it's not something we're going to be able to do.'
Michigan certified Biden’s victory in the battleground state on Monday, and a federal judge in Pennsylvania tossed a Trump campaign lawsuit on Saturday seeking to prevent certification in that state.
Giuliani said in a statement Tuesday: 'It's in everyone's interest to have a full vetting of election irregularities and fraud'
Pennsylvania certified its results, and its 20 electors for Biden, on Tuesday morning, followed hours later by Nevada.
Trump, who has not formally conceded to Biden — and may never — continued to sow doubt about the vote Tuesday, despite his own administration’s assessment that it was conducted without widespread fraud, misconduct or interference.
The president has maintained a low profile since his defeat.
He made a quick appearance in the briefing room on Tuesday to deliver just over one minute of remarks on the Dow Jones Industrial Average trading at record levels and later delivered the traditional pre-Thanksgiving turkey pardon in the White House Rose Garden. He has not taken questions from journalists in weeks.
Across the federal government, preparations were beginning in earnest to support President-elect Joe Biden’s incoming administration.
It is not known if Trump will speak at Tuesday's event. The day will include 'testimony from witnesses who have filed affidavits attesting to 2020 election fraud', his team said.
Trump campaign senior legal adviser Jenna Ellis said: 'There were serious irregularities, we have proof of fraud in a number of states, and it is important for all Americans to have faith in our electoral process.
'All we have wanted from the outset is to count every legal vote and discount every illegal vote.'
A day after Trump said his administration should begin working with Biden’s team, Republican allies filed two more lawsuits attempting to stop the certification in two battleground states.
One in Minnesota was swiftly rejected by a state court Tuesday before the state certified its results for Biden. Shortly after, another was filed in Wisconsin, which doesn’t certify until December 1.