Trump seems to acknowledge for the first time that Biden could succeed him

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump insisted on Friday that he would never put the United States in a coronavirus lockdown, but said “time will tell” if another government takes office in January and does so, the closest it has ever been. to recognize that President Elect Joe Biden could succeed him.

In his first public comments since Biden was widely projected as the winner last Saturday, Trump said he expects a coronavirus vaccine to be available to the entire population beginning in April, amid a flurry of new infections that has led to daily case count at record levels.

In remarks broadcast in the White House Rose Garden, Trump also appeared to acknowledge for the first time the possibility of an upcoming Biden administration, though he did not admit to the contest and did not mention his Democratic rival by name.

“Ideally, we will not go to a lockdown. I will not go, this administration will not go to a lockdown,” he said. “Hopefully the … uh … whatever happens in the future, who knows what administration it will be. I guess time will tell.”

Since the Nov.3 election, Trump has persisted with unsubstantiated allegations of widespread voter fraud. But while he has continued to make such claims on Twitter, he did not repeat them in his public comments on Friday.

The last time Trump spoke, in the White House meeting room two days after the election, he said without evidence that if “legal” votes were counted, he would “easily win” the election.

Biden solidified his victory over Trump on Friday after the state of Georgia followed suit, leaving Trump little hope of reversing the outcome through impeachments and legal recounts.

The Republican president said Friday he is waiting for an emergency use authorization for Pfizer’s vaccine “very soon”.

Pfizer has said it expects to report the required safety data next week and can then apply for an emergency use authorization.

The comments came after Trump received an update on ‘Operation Warp Speed’, an effort by the administration to accelerate development of a vaccine.

Criticism of the administration’s response to the virus, which has killed more than 235,000 Americans, became a rallying cry for Democrats ahead of the election.

(Reporting by Steve Holland, Alexandra Alper and Matt Spetalnick; Additional reporting by Caroline Humer and David Morgan; Written by Matt Spetalnick and Alexandra Alper; Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)