Tag: Trump refusal to concede

Biden plays it cool as Trump refuses to concede

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President-elect Joe Biden is countering President Trump’s efforts to question the legitimacy of the election by quietly and deliberately going about the business of transitioning into power.

Since media outlets declared him the winner over the weekend, Biden has installed transition teams for dozens of government agencies and outlined how he intends to tackle key policy priorities, beginning with COVID-19. The president-elect is taking calls from world leaders and expects to make announcements about his Cabinet in the next two weeks.

Trump is making the transition as difficult as possible. Continue reading.

How Trump’s Refusal to Concede Affects Biden’s National Security Transition

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President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. has yet to receive a presidential daily briefing, and it was unclear whether his team would have access to classified information.

President Trump’s refusal to concede the election to President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. has already affected Mr. Biden’s transition, particularly on national security issues.

Mr. Biden has yet to receive a presidential daily briefing, and it was unclear whether his team would have access to classified information, the most important pipeline for them to learn about the threats facing the United States.

Like previous presidents-elect, Mr. Biden is receiving Secret Service protection, and a no-fly zone has been established over his home in Delaware. But if Mr. Trump’s administration continues its refusal to recognize Mr. Biden as the winner, it could complicate his security until his inauguration.

Here are some of the issues at play: Continue reading.

Top Republicans Are Silent on Biden Victory as Trump Refuses to Concede

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The top Senate Republican issued no statement congratulating President-elect Biden, while a leading House Republican echoed President Trump’s protestations that the election was not, in fact, over.

WASHINGTON — As President Trump refused to concede defeat on Saturday, top Republican congressional leaders followed suit, refraining from releasing the customary statements congratulating the victor that have been standard among senior lawmakers in both parties when a presidential election has been declared.

Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader and Republican of Kentucky, declined on Saturday to acknowledge Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s victory, with an aide instead pointing reporters to a generic “count all the votes” statement Mr. McConnell released on Friday before the results were known.

In that statement, released on Twitter as Mr. Trump preemptively contested the outcome of the election, Mr. McConnell had outlined “how this must work in our great country.” “Every legal vote should be counted,” he said. “Any illegally-submitted ballots must not. All sides must get to observe the process. And the courts are here to apply the laws & resolve disputes.” Continue reading.