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Joe Biden said it was a “shame” that Donald Trump had not admitted defeat after losing last Tuesday’s election, although the president-elect insisted that a refusal to acknowledge his victory would not delay his transition plans.
In his first press conference since being declared the winner of last week’s election, Biden said that other high-ranking Republicans who had not acknowledged his victory, such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, would eventually change course. .
“I haven’t had a chance to talk to Mitch,” Biden said. “My expectation is that I will do that in the not too distant future. I think the entire Republican party has been put in a position, with a few notable exceptions, of being mildly intimidated by the incumbent president. “
Trump has refused to accept Biden’s victory, instead claiming that his election was stolen with the help of fraudulent ballots sent by mail. The president’s campaign has launched a series of lawsuits alleging, without any real evidence, that there was a widespread conspiracy by Democrats to manipulate the outcome.
On Monday, William Barr, the United States Attorney General, authorized prosecutors to investigate possible cases of voter fraud in the presidential elections, a break with past practice that delayed such investigations until after an election was resolved.
Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, said Tuesday that “there will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration,” while the General Services Administration has not formally recognized Biden’s victory, a prerequisite for a transfer. formal power to start.
The failure of Republicans and administration officials to follow the rules of the political process in acknowledging Biden’s victory and beginning a transition has alarmed some Democrats. But while the president-elect said Tuesday that Trump’s refusal to accept defeat “would not help” his legacy, Biden projected confidence that it would not hamper the transition process.
“Come on, we’re going to move forward, consistently, putting together our administration, the White House, and reviewing who we are going to elect to Cabinet posts, and nothing is going to stop that,” Biden said. .
And Biden said he saw “no need” for legal action for the General Services Administration to formally announce that it had won the election to free up government office space and funds for its transition team.
“We can do without funding. There is nothing to stop our efforts to put things together, “he added.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Biden campaign published summaries of the president-elect’s talks with four foreign leaders: French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
“I think I know from my discussions with foreign leaders so far that they are hopeful that America’s democratic institutions will once again be seen as strong and durable,” Biden said at the news conference in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware. .
Mr Biden said he had spoken with six foreign leaders on Tuesday and had a “series of other calls to answer.”
“I let them know that America is back,” Biden said. “We will be back in the game. It is not the United States alone. “
When asked if McConnell and other Senate Republicans, most of whom have supported the president, will accept the election results, a smiling Biden replied, “They will. They will do it.”
