US President Donald Trump’s campaign will have to shell out $8 million for a recount in the state of Wisconsin, which the 45th President of the United States lost on election day, November 3, as per USAToday reports.

Trump had clinched the state of Wisconsin in 2016 becoming the first Republican since Ronald Reagan in 1984 to win the blue state, when he defeated Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton by a margin of around 22,000 votes. Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden won the North Western state of Wisconsin by slender margins in 2020, smashing Donald Trump’s re-election bid. The 10 key electoral votes from Wisconsin allowed the Biden campaign to reach 306 electoral votes besides winning the popular vote count.

Following the election day debacle, the 45th President of the United States Donald Trump has been adamant in accepting the results of the election, questioning the validity of mail-in votes and has alleged voter fraud. The 74-year-old has also launched a string of litigations and lawsuits in all the major swing states he lost on election night, and is yet to concede the election.

President Trump must now decide by Wednesday on whether he wants a recount of votes in the northern western state he had won in 2016. 

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The Trump campaign will have to pay a whopping $7.9 million upfront to ensure a recount, which will then commence as early as Thursday and will be completed by December 1, as per the Election Commission.

The Trump campaign has been furiously pushing for a recount in the state of Wisconsin and has launched a spate of legal challenges seeking to overturn the results of the election. 

The price of the Wisconsin recount in 2020 is almost four times the costs incurred in 2016 , reported the USAToday.

Megan Wolfe, the Director of the State Election Commission, stated that a recount was costlier this year due to the limitations imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, as per USA Today report.

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Wolfe added that this year, for conducting counting large halls had to be rented keeping in mind the social distancing protocols due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wolfe also stated the short time frame for recounting the votes along with increased security need was driving up the costs of recount.

Wolfe further stated, “We still have not received any indication that there will or will not be a recount, but we want Wisconsin’s voters to know we are ready.”

While the Trump campaign has the option of seeking recounts in particular counties instead of recounting votes in all 72 of them, Trump campaign spokeswoman Anna Kelly has refrained from commenting on the states estimates for a recount.