‘Do it Mike’: Trump makes last-ditch Twitter plea urging Pence to block Biden certification

Vice president said to have told president he cannot overturn election result

Donald Trump has made a desperate public plea to Vice President Mike Pence to block the certification of Joe Biden’s win and overturn the  results of the 2020 presidential election.  

“States want to correct their votes, which they now know were based on irregularities and fraud, plus corrupt process never received legislative approval,” the president tweeted on Wednesday.

“All Mike Pence has to do is send them back to the States, AND WE WIN. Do it Mike, this is a time for extreme courage!”

The president’s appeal comes as  Mr Pence is due, in his constitutional role, to oversee a joint session of Congress, in which the House and Senate will vote to formally confirm Mr Biden’s victory.

Mr Pence has increasingly come under pressure from Mr Trump and other Republicans to object to Mr Biden’s confirmation.

The president similarly lobbied for his vice president of the past four years to overturn the result on Tuesday, saying he had the power “to reject fraudulently chosen electors”.

The New York Times reported that later the same day Mr Pence told Mr Trump he did not have the authority or power to block Mr Biden’s victory as the president has asked.

Mr Trump has since called the report "fake news" and insisted he and Mr Pence were “in total agreement that the vice president has the power to act”.

However, the Republican is constitutionally bound to confirm Mr Biden as the winner of the 2020 contest once both houses recall their tallies of the votes on Wednesday, with his powers being largely ceremonial.

It is not clear whether Mr Pence is in agreement with the sentiments expressed by Mr Trump, despite the president's statement.

At least 13 senators and potentially more than 100 House members plan to challenge Democrat Joe Biden's victory in at least six states during the ceremony, which is usually a formality in the election process, citing baseless election fraud claims.

More than a dozen GOP senators have said they won't support the challenges and plan to vote against them, and the president and his campaign have provided no substantial evidence of fraud or corruption in the 2020 election. 

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has warned Republicans against challenging President-elect Joe Biden’s election victory.

Over the weekend, Mr Pence’s office announced that the vice president “welcomed” the congressional challenge being spearheaded by Texas senator Ted Cruz , even though it has virtually no chance of success.

"Vice President Pence shares the concerns of millions of Americans about voter fraud and irregularities in the last election,” Mr Pence's chief of staff, Marc Short, said in a statement.

“The vice president welcomes the efforts of members of the House and Senate to use the authority they have under the law to raise objections and bring forward evidence before the Congress and the American people on January 6th."