Trump Campaign Drops Lawsuit in Arizona Asking for Review of Ballots

The Trump campaign dropped its lawsuit in Arizona seeking a hand review of ballots cast on Election Day, after determining that the margin of victory would be too difficult to overcome, CNN reported Friday.

The campaign originally filed the lawsuit on Saturday in its pursuit of a review of all ballots cast on Election Day that could have been miscounted by vote tabulation machines. The campaign alleged that the lawsuit could result in thousands of uncounted votes for Trump.

But on Friday, lawyers for the campaign reportedly dropped the lawsuit after determining that the president would not be able to surpass the amount of votes cast for Joe Biden.

Multiple news outlets called the race in Arizona for Biden on Thursday, after he maintained a lead of 49.4 percent compared to Trump's 49.1 percent.

Biden's victory marked a historic shift for the typically red state, making him the first Democrat to win Arizona since Bill Clinton in 1996. Only two Democratic presidential candidates have won Arizona since World War II.

The victory put Biden at 290 electoral votes, well over the threshold needed to win the presidency—but Trump has still refused to concede the race.

The president's team and Republican Party have filed additional lawsuits alleging voter fraud and irregularities in Georgia, Nevada, Michigan and Pennsylvania. The campaign is looking a resolution before the final votes are counted in December.

As of Friday, the only two states left uncalled are Georgia and North Carolina—with Biden expected to take the former, while Trump maintains a steady lead in the latter.

Trump and his allies have repeatedly alleged that he would be the winner of the 2020 election if not for mass voter fraud across the country. When the race was called by the major news outlets for Biden this past Saturday, Trump falsely tweeted: "I WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT!"

Despite the fact that there has been no evidence to substantiate those claims, at least two members of the Trump Administration, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and White House Trade Advisor Peter Navarro, have suggested that the White House is preparing to transition into a second Trump term.

In response to the allegations, election officials from 49 states publicly stated that they have seen no evidence of widespread voter fraud.

On Thursday, two executive committees under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), called the election "the most secure in American history."

Trump's refusal to concede the race even prompted over 150 former national security officials to sign a letter addressed to the General Services Administration (GSA), stating that his delay in recognizing Biden as president-elect poses a "serious risk to national security."

William Antholis, director of the non-partisan Miller Center which is advising the incoming government on presidential transitions, told Newsweek this week that the transition of power to Biden's team could be the most difficult since the Civil War.

Newsweek reached out the Trump campaign for additional comment.