President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday called President Donald Trump’s failure to concede the election “an embarrassment,” but said neither that nor the Trump administration’s stonewalling will stop him from getting to work.
Asked for his thoughts on the anxiety some Americans feel over the president’s refusal to publicly admit defeat, Biden said, “I just think it’s an embarrassment, quite frankly.”
“It will not help the president’s legacy,” Biden said, before adding that he didn’t think Trump’s resistance would wind up mattering.
“I think at the end of the day, it will all come to fruition on Jan. 20,” Biden said, referring to Inauguration Day. Biden answered questions from reporters after delivering a speech on the importance of improving the Affordable Care Act in Wilmington.
Trump has so far refused to concede despite network projections that he’s lost, and hard numbers that show Biden leads him by more than 10,000 votes in at least three swing states Trump would have to flip — a margin that has not been overcome in any sort of statewide recount previously. Some Republicans have said the president, who has maintained that he won the election, should wait to concede until the votes are certified.
Trump has so far refused to concede despite network projections that he’s lost, and hard numbers that show Biden leads him by more than 10,000 votes in at least three swing states Trump would have to flip — a margin that has not been overcome in any sort of statewide recount previously. Some Republicans have said the president, who has maintained that he won the election, should wait to concede until the votes are certified.
Trump, who won key states in 2016 by a margin smaller than Biden’s, claimed victory hours after the polls closed in 2016 based on media projections.
Asked what he would say to Trump if he was watching, Biden said, “Mr. President, I look forward to speaking with you.”
Biden shrugged off the importance of the General Services Administration head’s refusal to recognize his incoming administration. The GSA is delaying the paperwork needed to trigger the release of millions of dollars in transition funds and allows an incoming administration access to current government officials.
“We are already beginning the transition. We are well underway. The ability for the administration in any way by failure to recognize us — our win — does not change the dynamic at all of what we are able to do,” Biden said.
Trump has so far refused to concede despite network projections that he’s lost, and hard numbers that show Biden leads him by more than 10,000 votes in at least three swing states Trump would have to flip — a margin that has not been overcome in any sort of statewide recount previously. Some Republicans have said the president, who has maintained that he won the election, should wait to concede until the votes are certified.
Trump, who won key states in 2016 by a margin smaller than Biden’s, claimed victory hours after the polls closed in 2016 based on media projections.
Asked what he would say to Trump if he was watching, Biden said, “Mr. President, I look forward to speaking with you.”
Biden shrugged off the importance of the General Services Administration head’s refusal to recognize his incoming administration. The GSA is delaying the paperwork needed to trigger the release of millions of dollars in transition funds and allows an incoming administration access to current government officials.
“We are already beginning the transition. We are well underway. The ability for the administration in any way by failure to recognize us — our win — does not change the dynamic at all of what we are able to do,” Biden said.
NBC News
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