The math is looking near-impossible for President Trump to win re-election. But he should take pride in what he’s done for the nation and the world these last four years. It’s a legacy he could easily run on in 2024 — if he quits the conspiracy-addled talk of a “stolen” election. . . .

To lock in his legacy, though, Trump must rally Republicans to move forward — by behaving with dignity in the face of likely defeat.

Yes, the election saw a lot of unfairness: Pollsters demoralizing Republicans with predictions of a Biden landslide and a Democratic blue wave; media in the tank for Joe Biden and relentlessly supporting his absurd claim that Trump is to blame for every COVID death.

But the president’s aides have shown no evidence that the election was “stolen.” Where Trump won several key states by razor-thin margins to take the White House in 2016, Biden seems to have done the same this year. It undermines faith in democracy, and faith in the nation, to push baseless conspiracies. Get Rudy Giuliani off TV. Ask for the recounts you are entitled to, wish Biden well, and look to the future.

If Trump persists in wild talk to the contrary, he’ll lead his people into irrelevance and marginalize his own voice. His years in the White House have transformed the nation, but refusing to let go now will make it easier for his enemies to undo it all.