If Mr. Trump had solid evidence of massive wrongdoing, it should be taken to court by a serious practicing attorney. Mr. Giuliani’s role as lead lawyer suggests this is political theater. To what end? Perhaps Mr. Trump wants to test if Republican state legislatures in Michigan, Georgia or Pennsylvania might directly name Trump electors, overruling the state’s vote for Mr. Biden. That’s a dark road to go down.

If it succeeded in denying Mr. Biden 270 electoral votes, the result would be a backlash that would be a calamity for the GOP. It would draw legal challenges and might head to the Supreme Court. For the gambit to work, more than one state would have to be involved. But even if a single state took this course, it would be a terrible precedent that Republicans would live to regret…

Republicans have given Mr. Trump ample leeway to prove his case for ballot fraud, and we’ve approached his claims with an open mind. But if there’s no evidence beyond general innuendo, the President’s charges of a stolen election will undermine public faith in the electoral system. That won’t serve the country, his party, or his supporters, who will sour on politics and in the process cede elections to the left. None of this will serve Mr. Trump, his legacy, or whatever hope he has to run again in 2024.