Editor's note: Freddie Reidy is a freelance writer based in London. He studied history and history of art at the University of Kent, Canterbury, specializing in Russian history and international politics. The article reflects the author's opinions, and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

President Trump may have seen his path to the presidency blocked but as was demonstrated in his press conference on November 5, the incumbent sees the race as far from over. Levelling wave after wave of accusations of election fraud, the president is seeking to tie states up in legal red tape for weeks to come. Such accusations are unprecedented and have caused widespread concern and condemnation.

In what way therefore, does this undesirable set of circumstances present the Republican Party with an opportunity?

The election had long been billed as a referendum on Donald Trump and his policies with a predicted "blue wave," this however did not materialize. Aside from the presidential election, the Republican Party will be buoyed by retaining control of the Senate while also having a Supreme Court with a conservative majority. In Congress, the Republicans also performed better than anticipated with GOP candidates seeing off a number of high-profile challenges.

Donald Trump's rejection of the veracity of the election result though, undermines the very democratic foundations of the nation. The Republicans are therefore presented with an opportunity to drive a wedge between policies which have just witnessed electoral favor and the candidate himself.

If the Republican Party can simultaneously lay claim to being a defender of America's democratic process while also safeguarding the desire to "make America great again," they will have insulated themselves against a potential backlash when it comes to mid-term elections in two years' time.

For Joe Biden, the failure of a blue wave to emerge and the need to restrain the hard-left fringe of his own party will drive his administration to the center ground. Republican politicians are already rumored to be under consideration of cabinet positions. The wife of former GOP candidate John McCain, Cindy, is said to be joining Biden's transition team.

If the Republican Party is pressured into deeper association with the outgoing president, it will likely relegate the party to once again becoming an unelectable prospect as it was when Mitt Romney ran in 2012. The GOP cannot allow the middle ground to be staked out by the former vice president.

The Trump family have been frustrated by the relative silence of the party's hierarchy with Eric Trump telling the leadership to "show some backbone" and threatening that "our voters will never forget if your (sic) sheep."

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham has donated $500,000 to the legal fund Donald Trump is amassing, as both sides seek to bolster their war chests. Politically, it appears a strategy which serves only to harm future GOP chances. Every day that the president continues to make baseless accusations is a day in which his legacy and the reputation of the party become harder to defend.

It is a president's right to seek recounts or legal options, but a wholesale undermining of the democratic process without evidence is extraordinary.

Long-time Trump supporter and advisor Chris Christie articulated this sentiment, "If this stuff is going on that the president's talking about, all of us want it ferreted out, because it would undercut everything that we believe in in our system." Continuing, "We've heard nothing today about any evidence… As a prosecutor, that's like asking me to indict someone without showing me any evidence."

As Trump restated his accusations on November 5, the former governor stated that "We cannot permit inflammation without information."

If GOP grandees like Chris Christie can galvanize support and affirm the party's commitment to upholding the American electoral process as a patriotic duty and affirm their commitment to values and beliefs which just received such widespread support at the ballot box, a pathway to power is paved.

At 78, Joe Biden is likely to be a one-term president. If the Republicans can continue to garner support in the way they did on November 3, then 2024 is a realistic proposition. The party holds power with control of the Senate and can work with President Biden, not just to temper his policies, but to shut out the far-left wing of the Democratic Party.

The GOP must also be aware that attempts by Democrats to delegitimize the president received little support come election time; the public demands action and effectiveness.

President Trump was a shock to the system as an individual, perhaps a revolution; we are now witnessing the correction. Trump's popular policy platform can live on though, but the party must seize ownership of it. The Trump brand is rapidly becoming toxic and Republicans must lay claim to a platform which made the party electable once more. To paraphrase a metaphor, the captain must go down without his ship.

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