US election: Cracks appear in Republican wall as Donald Trump refuses to concede to Joe Biden

President Donald Trump waves to protesting supporters from his motorcade on November 14 in Washington DC. Photo / AP

Republicans have largely toed the line when it comes to supporting US President Donald Trump as he refuses to admit his election loss to Democrat challenger Joe Biden.

But a notable few are breaking ranks and encouraging him to accept reality and allow for a smooth presidential transition.

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For more than a week Trump has asserted, without evidence, a range of claims including that poll watchers were denied access from counting rooms, that voter tabulation machines had been hacked, and that the election was "rigged".

Trump's campaign has filed some 16 lawsuits in numerous states across the US, attempting to block the certification of President-elect Joe Biden by the Electoral College.

On Saturday, his team lost cases in Michigan and Pennsylvania, and dropped one of its challenges in Arizona.

Donald Trump plays golf at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia on November 15. Photo / AP

On Sunday, the President appeared to acknowledge he had lost the election to Biden in a tweet. But he later doubled down on previous statements, saying: "We will win."

John Bolton, former national security adviser to the President, has urged Republicans to acknowledge their leader was beaten in the election.

"He will leave the Oval Office, but he won't do so graciously, and he'll do lot of damage in the meantime," Bolton warned.

"I think it's very important for leaders of the Republican Party to explain to our voters – who are not as stupid as the Democrats think – that, in fact, Trump has lost the election and that his claims of election fraud are baseless."

Bolton dismissed Trump's litigation efforts, calling them "the legal equivalent of pitching pennies". He warned that the President's efforts to block a smooth transition for the incoming administration could be a danger to the country's national security.

A number of other Republicans have joined the call for a smooth presidential transition.

Lieutenant General HR McMaster, another former national security adviser to the President, called Trump's claims about the election "wrong".

"What the President says in this tweet, it's just wrong, it's regrettable, it's counter-productive," McMaster told CNN. "I think our democracy could be stronger than ever."

Republican Governor of Arkansas Asa Hutchinson also said in an interview that he expected Biden to become the next president.

"I expect Joe Biden to be the next president of the United States. It was good, actually, to see President Trump tweet out that he won. I think that's the start, the start of an acknowledgment," Hutchinson said.

.@AsaHutchinson: "I expect Joe Biden to be the next president of the United States. It was good, actually, to see President Trump to tweet out that he won...And it is very important that Joe Biden have access to the intelligence briefings to make sure that he is prepared." pic.twitter.com/XyhGv5EClw

— Andrew Bates (@AndrewBatesNC) November 15, 2020

"And it is very important that Joe Biden have access to the intelligence briefings to make sure that he is prepared.

"During times of transition our enemies have an opportunity to take advantage of us and we want to make sure that there is a smooth transition."

Another Trump supporter, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, said it was important for the presidential transition to begin, regardless of Trump's legal battles.

"I think we have to have faith in our judicial system and faith in our electoral system," DeWine said. He added the President has "every right" to pursue legal challenges in court.

"On the other hand, we know now that Joe Biden is the president-elect, and that transition for the country's sake is important.

"And the President can go down this other track, this legal track, we can respect that. But we also need to begin that process."

Some 150 former national security, senior military and elected officials also wrote to Emily W Murphy, the leader of the General Services Administration, urging her to acknowledge Biden and Kamala Harris' victory.

Murphy is the official in charge of facilitating the transition.

The letter, sent on Thursday, warned: "Delaying the transition further poses a serious risk to our national security."