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WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump, who refuses to admit electoral defeat, injected new volatility on Monday (November 9) by firing his Secretary of Defense, while President-elect Joe Biden kept his promise to focus on getting the country out. of COVID. -19 crisis.
With construction already beginning in downtown Washington for the January 20 groundbreaking ceremony, an awkward and potentially chaotic transition period is underway.
Trump, in a move unprecedented for a U.S. president, insists he stole the November 3 election. However, his lawyers have so far only presented flimsy evidence to back up their legal challenges alleging wrongdoing.
Official election results released Saturday show that Biden has a compelling and insurmountable lead with nearly every vote counted, making him the president on hold. Final certified results are still weeks away but are not expected to change significantly.
The Trump administration is also rejecting traditional cooperation with the Biden team, denying it the normal transition package so far that includes office space, a budget and expertise to prepare for the acquisition.
READ: US Election: How and when will Trump leave office?
In another twist, Trump announced on Twitter that he had “fired” Defense Secretary Mark Esper, a notable change from such an important position so close to the end of a presidency. Trump and Esper had publicly clashed over Esper’s opposition to suggestions that military personnel be used to quell civil unrest.
In a small new rift in the Trump-dominated Republican Party, Senator Susan Collins broke ranks to acknowledge Biden’s victory, saying she wanted to “offer my congratulations to President-elect Biden on his apparent victory: he loves this country and I wish him every success. “
DUAL WORK TEAM COVID-19
Meanwhile, Biden pushed forward with his agenda, beginning with his number one campaign promise to try to control the raging coronavirus pandemic.
He held a first meeting of his own working group on the coronavirus, just hours before the White House version led by Vice President Mike Pence met.
Later, Biden delivered a televised address on the crisis that marked a dramatic departure from Trump’s erratic style.
Where Trump has repeatedly mocked people wearing masks and claimed the virus would go away on its own, Biden told the nation that covering your face is the best way to control the situation.
“I beg you, wear a mask,” he said. “A mask is not a political statement, but it is a good way to start arming the country.”
US President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris celebrate the victory on Saturday. (Photo: AFP / Jim Watson)
The speech and announcement of Biden’s new task force came as US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech announced that a jointly developed vaccine had so far shown 90% efficacy in preventing infections in trials.
Biden welcomed this in a statement, while warning that it would be “many more months” before mass vaccination was possible and urging Americans to wear masks, something he says he wants to impose nationally once in The charge.
Trump, whose handling of the pandemic has often been contrary to scientific advice, also welcomed the news, which gave an immediate boost to stock prices on Wall Street.
“THE BIG STOCK MARKET, THE VACCINE COMING SOON. REPORT 90% EFFECTIVE. What GREAT NEWS!” Trump tweeted.
Meanwhile, the coronavirus struck back inside the White House with ABC News reporting that Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson had tested positive.
This comes after Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows allegedly contracted the virus, as did many other staff members and Trump himself over the past few weeks.
LOST IN TRANSITION?
Beyond Covid, Biden’s team said that President-elect and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris will “hold briefings with transition advisers” in the afternoon.
However, with Trump struggling, it is far from clear how much the incoming administration will be able to do as the clock ticks towards inauguration day.
Trump, backed for now by a significant number of senior Republicans, insists on multiple court challenges to vote counting and allegations of fraud. While no credible evidence has been presented of any incident that could have changed the outcome, legal disputes could take days, if not weeks, to resolve.
Meanwhile, the Trump-appointed head of the General Services Administration, which manages government buildings, is blocking Biden’s team from taxpayer-funded transition assistance.
The freeze on GSA cooperation extended to the Defense Department, which said it was refraining from contact with Biden’s team.
“The DOD has not had contact with the transition teams for any of the campaigns and will not do so until notified by the GSA administrator,” said a Pentagon official.
