First lady Melania Trump is reportedly telling her husband to give up his fight. Photo / AP
First lady Melania Trump is reportedly telling her husband to give up his fight. Photo / AP
The US election drama has stepped up a notch amid reports a growing number of Donald Trump's own relatives – including wife Melania – are now urging him to concede.
The President – who convincingly lost the November 3 election to former vice president Joe Biden – has so far refused to admit defeat.
He has repeatedly made a string of allegations of election fraud, with no evidence, despite losing the popular vote by more than 4.4 million votes so far, and receiving just 214 electoral college votes compared with Biden's 290.
President Donald Trump arrives at the White House after learning that Biden had won the vote. Photo / AP
To win a US election, a candidate must secure a crucial 270 electoral college votes to claim victory, and while three states – Alaska, Georgia and North Carolina – are yet to finishing counting, they would not make a difference to the final result.
However, Trump has been digging in his heels since election day, branding it a "stolen election" and labelling his rivals "thieves" on Twitter while also pursuing legal avenues to challenge the outcome.
However, it appears the tide is beginning to turn when it comes to Trump's own inner circle.
A "source familiar with the conversations" reportedly told CNN that First Lady Melania Trump had privately shared her opinion and instructed her husband to accept the situation.
"She has offered it, as she often does," the source said, according to CNN.
The American people deserve fair elections. Every legal - not illegal - vote should be counted. We must protect our democracy with complete transparency.
Publicly, however, it's a different story, with Melania taking to Twitter to echo her husband's concerns regarding "illegal" votes.
"The American people deserve fair elections. Every legal - not illegal - vote should be counted. We must protect our democracy with complete transparency," she posted on Twitter in her first statement since the US election today.
Meanwhile, CNN also reports that the President's senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner – who is married to Trump's eldest daughter Ivanka – has delivered a similar message, although Trump's campaign spokesman Jason Miller has denied that claim.
In contrast, Trump's eldest sons Eric and Don Jr have both urged their father to continue the fight against the election result, with both also backing up his unfounded fraud claims.
Software from hell! There needs to be a manual recount of every ballot in this country right now! https://t.co/179Bk8ltHQ
So far, some high-profile Republicans have spoken out in support of Trump and backed up his claims, with former house speaker Newt Gingrich sensationally telling Fox News in an opinion piece that there had been "breathtaking systemic corruption during this election".
However, many others – including former president George W Bush – have insisted the electoral system is sound.
Bush personally called Biden to offer his congratulations, and later issued a public statement on the matter, calling the election "fundamentally fair".
The president-elect broke former president Barack Obama's record for most votes ever cast for a presidential candidate.
A former Trump staffer has made explosive allegations about the Trumps' marriage. Photo / AP
Meanwhile, as the Trump family reels from the election outcome, President Trump's former aide and The Apprentice star Omarosa Manigault Newman has made fresh, explosive allegations about his marriage.
Late last month, Omarosa told British breakfast television programme Lorraine the Trump marriage was "very strange" and that Melania Trump was "repulsed" by her husband.
"It's a very strange marriage. I'm very cautious to comment on the dynamics of a marriage because you never know what goes on behind closed doors," she told the show.
"But I have known this couple since they were dating, they got married a year after The Apprentice aired.
"What I have observed in the last 17 years would make your head spin. Sometimes they like each other but sometimes she [Melania Trump] is repulsed by him."
Now, she has made fresh allegations that the marriage was in trouble.
According to the Daily Mail, Omarosa alleged the couple's 15-year marriage was coming to an end, adding: "Melania is counting every minute until he is out of office and she can divorce."
She has written an explosive book, Unhinged, offering a behind-the-scenes look into the Trump administration – and the President's third marriage.
