He’s already insisted multiple times that he’s the real winner of the election, and that many of Biden’s ballots are “illegal.” The consequences of such behavior will increase exponentially if Trump disputes the official result, officials say.

One senior official said they are “clear-eyed” about that possibility. “Based on what we saw today on Twitter and elsewhere… there’s a chance that things get even worse and we have to be prepared,” that official said…

National security and intelligence officials have for months warned that the most serious disinformation threat to the election was domestic, not foreign. But the fact that officials are contingency planning for President Trump ignoring or fighting back against the final results of the 2020 presidential elections highlights the extent to which his own administration is concerned about his attempts to mislead the country…

“Through huge effort and great resolve, we as a nation rebuffed the known efforts of foreign adversaries who would seek to undermine our system and advance their own interests,” said Sue Gordon, former deputy director of national intelligence. “The fact that our own leaders are sowing distrust in the system, and, worse, suggesting malfeasance, dishonors the work done to make the election happen as it did, and creates a new opening for malign actors to achieve their aims.”