Former Presidential nominee Mitt Romney says Donald Trump's defiance of the election result "will have an enormous impact on [the Republican Party] going forward".
Trump lost the 2020 US election to Democratic candidate Joe Biden on Sunday. He received just 214 electoral college votes, far behind Biden's 279.
He has refused to formally concede the election, choosing instead to go and play golf.
In an interview with NBC Romney said he doesn't think Trump will disappear any time soon.
"The great majority of people who voted for Donald Trump want to make sure his principles and policies are pursued, so yeah, he's not disappearing by any means. he's the 900lb gorilla when it comes to the Republican Party".
Asked what he would like to see Trump do differently, Romey said he knew there was no way to change him.
"I don't think I'm going to be giving him advice as to what to do," he told NBC.
"People in the past, like myself, who lost elections, have gone on in a way that said, ‘Look, I know the eyes of the world are on us. The eyes of our own people are on the institutions that we have. The eyes of history are on us."
He asserted Trump has "every right" to call for recounts of the vote but that if "as expected" the outcome remains the same, he will have to "accept the inevitable".
Trump is feeling embittered that he has lost the race, sources both inside and outside his campaign have told CNN.
Advisors have described Trump as grasping at straws he sees reported on Fox News.
He may never accept this reality, one advisor told CNN.
In a 'normal' election, it is routine for the losing candidate to call the winner and concede, so a peaceful transfer of power can follow suit.
However, Trump has pushed unsupported claims of widespread election fraud, saying the Democrats are "trying to steal the election".
After Biden was announced winner, Trump released a statement saying the election was "far from over".
Trump has followed through with the claims, launching legal challenges in the battleground states of Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, and Pennsylvania.
In September, Trump was asked whether he would commit to a peaceful transferral of power after the election if he lost.
"Well, we're going to have to see what happens," Trump responded.
"You know that I've been complaining very strongly about the [mail-in] ballots.
"Get rid of the ballots and we'll have a very peaceful – there won't be a transfer, frankly. There will be a continuation."
