Donald Trump attends “National Day of Celebration” wreath laying ceremony on November 11
Washington, United States:
US President Donald Trump made his first official appearance after the election on Wednesday in what should have been a moment of national unity to mark Veterans Day, now marred by his refusal to recognize Joe Biden’s victory.
On a gray, rainy day in Washington, the president went to Arlington National Cemetery for a grim wreath-laying ceremony shortly before 11:30 a.m., four days after US media projected his Democratic rival would take the White House .
Since then, he has only addressed the nation via Twitter and a statement released to mark Veterans Day, and has not conceded Biden, as is traditional once a winner is screened in ‘an American vote.
As Covid-19 cases shatter records across the country and states impose new restrictions in a bid to contain the virus before winter arrives, Trump appears to have all but put aside his normal presidential duties , except for his brief appearance in Arlington, where he made no public remarks. .
Instead, he has remained locked inside the presidential mansion, pushing for an alternate reality that he is set to win, and suing for electoral fraud that so far have only been substantiated by the most fragile evidence.
Early Wednesday, he tweeted new claims without evidence of electoral victories and ballot forgery, despite the consensus of international observers, world leaders, local election officials and the US media that the November 3 vote was free and fair and that there was no credible allegation. of fraud.
Claiming that a poll in Wisconsin on Election Day resulted in “possibly illegal removal,” he said he “was now preparing to win the state,” which was called for Biden there. has a week.
“Lots of these ‘deplorable’ cases!” he added on Twitter.
Some Republicans were adding their voice to the president’s growing calls to concede, with experts warning his refusal to do so was undermining the Democratic process and delaying the transition to Biden, who takes office in January.
Among them was Republican Secretary of State for Montana Corey Stapleton, who announced the “incredible things” Trump has accomplished in office.
“But those times are now over. Tilt your hat, bite your lip and congratulate @JoeBiden,” he tweeted.
“Embarrassment”
However, some of the most powerful figures in the Republican Party – including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Senate Leader Mitch McConnell – have appeared to support Trump in his attempt to undermine Biden’s victory.
“There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration,” Pompeo said in a sometimes grueling press conference Tuesday, while McConnell said the president was “100% within his rights” to challenge the election to court.
None of the lawsuits appear to have the potential to change the outcome of the votes, and even a paper-thin planned account of Biden’s victory in Georgia, or elsewhere, likely wouldn’t change fundamental math.
“I just think it’s a shame, quite frankly,” Biden said on Tuesday, when asked what he thought of the president’s refusal to admit defeat.
But otherwise, he largely ignored Trump, signaling that despite the Republican’s attempts to prevent his transition to power, he was increasingly a president on hold.
Biden and his wife Jill attended their grim Veterans Day ceremony at the Korean War Memorial in Philadelphia on Wednesday.
Since announcing his expected victory on Saturday, Biden has addressed the nation, set up a coronavirus task force, spoke with world leaders including Trump allies, began to review potential cabinet members and give political speeches.
The president’s only known activities outside the White House were playing golf twice over the weekend after the results were released.
Normally, routine secret presidential briefings are not part of the daily schedule. He made no mention of the dramatic rebound of the Covid-19 pandemic across the country.
Trump’s only significant presidential action was the brutal sacking of Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Monday, which he announced on Twitter.
Its failure to concede does not have legal force on its own, but the General Service Administration, the generally low-profile agency that manages Washington’s bureaucracy, has refused to sign the transition, delaying briefings on funding. and security.
Biden’s inauguration is January 20.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
