US President Donald Trump not conceding defeat in the just-concluded election is an embarrassment, President-elect Joe Biden said on Tuesday (November 10), asserting that his transition plans have remained unaffected by this and he has started talking to world leaders.
“I just think it’s an embarrassment quite frankly… It will not help the president’s legacy… I know from my discussions with foreign leaders thus far that they are hopeful that the United States democratic institutions are viewed once again as being strong and enduring,” Biden told reporters in Wilmington, Delaware.
Responding to questions from reporters on Trump not conceding the race, Biden hoped that at the end it’s all going to come to fruition on January 20th.
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“Between now and then my hope and expectation is that the American people do know and do understand that there has been a transition. Even among Republicans…who voted for the president, I understand the sense of loss. I get that, he said. Biden hoped that those who voted for him and those for Trump would come together.”
“A significantly smaller number, but a lot voted for him — I think they understand that we have to come together. I think they’re ready to unite and I believe we can pull the country out of this bitter politics that we’ve seen for the last five, six and seven years,” he said.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, however, said he believes Trump has won the November 3 presidential elections, and asserted that that there will be a smooth transition to a second ‘Trump administration’.
“There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration. We are ready. The world is watching what’s taking place here. We’re going to count all the votes…,” Pompeo said.
He was responding to questions from reporters at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department if his department is preparing to engage with the Biden transition team and if not at what point does it delay or hamper a smooth transition or pose a risk to national security.
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has been declared the winner of the elections by major media networks, as is the tradition in the United States. President-elect Biden has quickly moved on to the transition phase.
Pompeo said that the world should have every confidence that the transition necessary “to make sure that the State Department is functional today, successful today, and successful with the president who’s in office on January 20th a minute after noon will also be successful.”
“I went through a transition on the front and I’ve been on the other side of this. I’m very confident that we will do all the things that are necessary to make sure that the government, the United States government will continue to perform its national security function as we go forward,” he said. Responding to questions if he believed there is widespread voter fraud, Pompeo said that he has been getting calls from all across the world.
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“These people are watching our election. They understand that we have a legal process. They understand that this takes time, right? It took us 37 plus days in an election back in 2000. We conducted a successful transition then. I’m very confident that we workout and we must count every legal vote,” he said.
“We must make sure that any vote that wasn’t lawful ought not be counted. That dilutes your vote if it’s done improperly. We’ve got to get that right. When we get it right, well get it right. Were in good shape,” he said.