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WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump backtracked after appearing on Sunday (November 15) to acknowledge for the first time that Joe Biden won the November 3 election, saying he conceded “nothing” and repeating his unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud. widespread.
Biden defeated Trump by winning a series of states on the battlefield that the Republican president had won in 2016. The former Democratic vice president also won the national popular vote by more than 5.5 million votes, or 3.6 percentage points.
Trump made his contradictory statements in a series of Twitter posts.
“He won because the election was rigged,” Trump wrote Sunday morning, without referring to Biden by name. “NO OBSERVERS OR OBSERVERS VOTE ALLOWED, vote tabulated by a private Radical Left company, Dominion, with a bad reputation and team that couldn’t even qualify for Texas (which I won by a lot!), The Fake & Silent Media, & more!”
About an hour later, Trump wrote: “He only won in the eyes of FAKE MEDIA. I concede NOTHING! We have a long way to go. This was an EQUIPPED ELECTION!”
Trump had yet to concede the election to Biden, who was named the winner on November 7 after enough state results were obtained for the former Democratic vice president’s victory.
Biden has won 306 votes in the state-by-state Electoral College system that determines the presidential winner, according to Edison Research, far more than the 270 needed.
Speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Biden’s choice for White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain said: “Donald Trump’s Twitter doesn’t make Joe Biden president or not president. American people did that. “
The federal agency in charge of providing those resources, the General Services Administration, has yet to acknowledge Biden’s victory.
The president of the United States has also stalled the normal process of preparing the government for a new presidential administration, which both Democrats and some Republicans have said has serious implications for national security.
LEE: Biden wins the White House with 306 electoral votes compared to 232 for Trump: US media
Trump’s campaign team and Republicans have also tried to take their case to court in key states on the battlefield, but have been widely rejected.
Election officials from both parties have said there is no evidence of major wrongdoing. Democrats and other critics have accused Trump of trying to delegitimize Biden’s victory and undermine public confidence in the American electoral process. Before the election, Trump had refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power.
“ABSOLUTELY UNPLEASANT”
Senator Bernie Sanders, one of Biden’s main rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination, criticized Trump’s conduct after the election.
“Trump will have the distinction of doing more than anyone in the history of this country to undermine American democracy. The idea that he continues to tell his supporters that the only reason he could have lost this election was fraud is absolutely disgraceful. “Un-American thing to do,” Sanders told CNN’s “State of the Union” program.
READ: Comment: How Joe Biden Won the 2020 US Presidential Election
Biden has spent days huddled with advisers as he weighs cabinet appointments, receives congratulatory calls from world leaders and maps out the policies he will pursue after taking office on January 20. He is expected to continue meeting with advisers privately on Sunday.
John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser turned critic, on Sunday called on Republicans to recognize Biden’s victory. Bolton last week accused fellow Republicans of “coddling” and “bowing” to Trump as the incumbent despite his loss.
“I think it is very important that the GOP leaders explain to our voters, that they are not as stupid as the Democrats think, that Trump has in fact lost the election and that his claims of voter fraud are unfounded,” Bolton said on ABC . Program “This week”.
“I take this as a test for the Republican Party … I do not buy the argument that Donald Trump has hypnotized Republican voters,” Bolton added.
TRUMP SUPPORTER RALLY
Thousands of Trump supporters demonstrated in Washington on Saturday, backing up his fraud allegations, and clashes broke out overnight with rival protesters.
A man is pepper-sprayed during a protest against the election results, in Washington, U.S., on November 14, 2020 (Photo: REUTERS / Hannah McKay).
At least 20 people were arrested, according to reports, including four for firearms violations and one for assaulting a police officer.
A woman argues with law enforcement after a protest against the election results, in Washington, U.S., on November 14, 2020 (Photo: REUTERS / Jim Urquhart)
Trump himself drove past the rally in his armored caravan, on his way to play golf, smiling through the window of his limousine amid cheers and placards that read “Best Presidency” and “Trump 2020: Keep America Great.” .
Many of Trump’s tweets over the weekend alleging that the election was rigged against him have been tagged by Twitter as containing “disputed” information.
Meanwhile, Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris have moved forward with their transition efforts, including briefings on the COVID-19 outbreak.
Biden’s incoming chief of staff on Sunday urged Congress to approve bipartisan financial aid for the pandemic as the number of new coronavirus cases shattered US records and strained many state health systems from coast to coast. .
Ron Klain, in an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” program, said that such a bill was urgently needed given the surge in COVID-19 cases, and that an aid package could be passed sooner. Biden took office on January 20.
Klain added that Biden’s team planned to meet with Pfizer and other drug makers this week, but is still awaiting authorization from the federal government to formally begin transition efforts between its pandemic advisers and the White House Coronavirus Task Force. .
