‘Work begins immediately:’ Biden begins planning his presidency

WILMINGTON, Delaware / WASHINGTON – A day after taking over the United States presidency, Democrat Joe Biden and his advisers were working Sunday on how to address the nation’s coronavirus crisis while reinforcing their intent to bridge the vast political divisions of United States.

Republican Donald Trump, the first sitting US president to lose a re-election bid in 28 years, gave no sign of budging as his campaign moved legal battles against the result.

Illustrating the uphill battle facing Biden after taking office on January 20 while working with lawmakers from Trump’s party, the top Republicans in Congress on Sunday had yet to recognize the former vice president as the winner.

In a speech in his home state of Delaware on Saturday night, Biden delivered a message of unity and reconciliation, declaring that it is “time to heal” the nation and reach out to Americans who voted for Trump and Republicans in Congress.

“The work begins immediately,” Biden’s deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday.

Biden made clear Saturday that addressing the pandemic was a top priority. Bedingfield said Biden planned to launch a coronavirus task force on Monday to chart the way forward, led by former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner David Kessler.

More than 237,000 Americans have died of COVID-19 and coronavirus cases have soared to record highs in recent days. Biden made his criticism of Trump’s disjointed response to the pandemic a centerpiece of his campaign.

In addressing the pandemic, Biden vowed to improve access to testing and, unlike Trump, to follow the advice of leading scientists and public health officials. Some 10 million Americans who were left without work during the coronavirus lockdowns remain inactive and federal relief programs have expired.

Biden and his advisers will also go ahead with the job of electing officials to serve in his administration.

“He’s … going to start transition work in earnest this week,” Bedingfield said. “He will be making calls. He will announce to the American people how he is going to deliver on these campaign promises. “

Bedingfield added that Biden “will address a mandate to unite the country: unify, lower the temperature, put aside the harsh rhetoric of the campaign and dedicate himself to the hard work of governing.”

The congratulations came from abroad, including those from conservative British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, making it difficult for Trump to push through his repeated claims, without proof, that the election was rigged against him.

Trump was playing golf on Saturday when major television networks projected that his rival had won. Wearing his red “Make America Great Again” baseball cap, Trump returned to the golf course in Sterling, Virginia, on Sunday. His caravan came across a handful of people holding signs, including one that read, “Trumpty Dumpty had a big fall.”

Unlike other defeated US presidential candidates in the past, Trump has not made a concession statement or communicated with Biden.

Trump posted on Twitter Sunday comments from commentators who questioned the integrity of the election, including, “This was a stolen election.” Twitter flagged the comments, noting that “this claim about voter fraud is in dispute,” the latest instance of a social media platform that flags its posts.

Trump and his advisers have presented no evidence of their allegations of voter fraud.

Former Republican President George W. Bush said in a statement that he had spoken with Biden and congratulated him on his victory.

“Even though we have political differences, I know that Joe Biden is a good man, who has earned the opportunity to lead and unify our country,” Bush said. “The American people can be confident that this election was fundamentally fair, its integrity will be maintained, and its outcome is clear.”

‘A clear victory’

Biden secured Pennsylvania on Saturday to put it above the 270 Electoral College vote threshold needed to secure the U.S. presidency, ending four days of scathing suspense since the polls closed on Tuesday and sending supporters to the streets of the main cities in celebration.

“The people of this nation have spoken. They have delivered us a clear victory, a convincing victory, “Biden said honking and cheering for his fans in a parking lot in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware.

Biden promised that, as president, he will seek to unify the United States and “rally the forces of decency” to combat the coronavirus pandemic, restore economic prosperity, ensure health care for American families and eradicate systemic racism.

Without addressing the Republican president, Biden directly addressed the 70 million Americans who voted in support of Trump, some of whom took to the streets on Saturday to demonstrate against the results.

“For all of you who voted for President Trump, I understand the disappointment tonight. I’ve gotten lost a couple of times. But now, let’s give ourselves a chance. It is time to put aside the harsh rhetoric, lower the temperature, see each other again, hear each other again, ”said Biden.

“This is the time to heal in America,” added Biden.

Biden made an explicit call for cooperation between America’s two major political parties as he faces political dysfunction and partisan stalemate in Washington.

He also thanked black voters, saying that even at the lowest moments of his campaign, the African-American community had stood up for him. “They always have my back and I’ll have yours,” he said.

Biden, who has spent half a century in public life as a U.S. Senator and Vice President, was introduced by his running mate, U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, who will be the first woman, the first African-American, and the first American of Asian descent to serve as vice president, the country’s number 2 office.

When Biden enters the White House, he will be the oldest person to take office, at 78.

Symone Sanders, a senior adviser to Biden, told CNN’s “State of the Union” program on Sunday that “several Republicans” have approached the president-elect, but “I don’t think anyone from the White House has.”

Trump’s allies made it clear that the president does not plan to budge any time soon. A Trump loyalist said the president was not ready to admit defeat even though not enough ballots would be discarded in a recount to change the outcome.

Trump has filed a number of lawsuits to challenge the results, but election officials in states across the country have said there has been no evidence of significant fraud, and legal experts say Trump’s efforts are unlikely to be successful. .

Sen. Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, said in “State of the Union” that he understood why Trump wants to keep fighting.

“I believe, however, that it is destructive to the cause of democracy to suggest widespread fraud or corruption. There’s just no evidence of that at this stage, ”Romney said.

“I would rather see the world seeing a more elegant game, but that is not in the nature of man,” Romney added, referring to Trump.

Trump’s allies in Congress also refused to recognize Biden as president-elect.

Kevin McCarthy, the top Republican in the House of Representatives, told Fox News: “What we need in the presidential race is to make sure every legal vote is counted, every recount is completed, and every legal challenge is heard. Then, and only then, will the United States decide who won the race. “

Executive actions

Biden’s adviser, Sanders, sidestepped a question about whether the president-elect planned to sign a series of executive orders shortly after taking office on January 20 that would reverse several controversial Trump policies.

The Washington Post reported Sunday that Biden plans to sign orders to repeal the ban on travelers from several Muslim-majority nations, rejoin an international climate accord, reverse Trump’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization and support a program to protect against the deportation brought by the “dreamy” immigrants. to the United States illegally as children.

When Biden takes office, he will end Trump’s chaotic four-year presidency in which he played down a deadly pandemic, imposed harsh immigration policies, launched a trade war with China, broke international agreements and deeply divided many families. Americans with their incendiary rhetoric. falsehoods and willingness to abandon democratic norms.

Biden has also vowed to restore a sense of normalcy in the White House after a presidency in which Trump praised authoritarian foreign leaders, scorned long-standing global alliances, refused to repudiate white supremacists and cast doubt on the legitimacy of the US electoral system.

If Republicans maintain control of the United States Senate, they would be in a position to hamper much of Biden’s legislative agenda, including expanding health care and fighting climate change. That prospect could hinge on the outcome of four undecided Senate races, including two in Georgia that won’t be resolved until the second round in January.

[atm]

Read next