US President-elect Biden: Nothing will stop succession
November 10, 2020
US President-elect Joe Biden dismissed Donald Trump's refusal to concede defeat as "an embarrassment." He said the unwillingness to acknowledge defeat would have little effect on planning the succession.
Image: Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo/picture alliance
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US President Donald Trump's refusal to concede the US election will reflect poorly on his place in history, President-elect Joe Biden said on Tuesday.
"I just think it's an embarrassment, quite frankly," Biden told reporters when he was asked about Trump's refusal to acknowledge defeat in the November 3 election.
"How can I say this tactfully," Biden said. "I think it will not help the president's legacy."
The president-elect downplayed any practical problems caused by Trump's refusal to help with the transition toward a new US administration. He said the transition process was "well underway" and "nothing's going to stop that."
Much formal transition work doesn't begin until the administrator of the federal General Services Administration ascertains the "apparent successful candidate" in the general election. This has not happened yet amidst legal challenges by President Donald Trump's team to the election results in some states.
This means Biden is not receiving a daily classified briefing on security threats typically afforded to the president-elect.
US election: World leaders who have not congratulated Joe Biden
Some of the US’s biggest and closest allies in Europe, Asia and the Middle East were quick to congratulate US President-elect Joe Biden. But there have been one or two notable exceptions who remain a bit more cautious.
Image: Alexei Druzhinin/dpa/picture-alliance
Russian President Vladimir Putin
Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the Kremlin will refrain from commenting on Biden's victory until legal challenges to the election are resolved and the result is official. "Certain legal procedures are coming there, which were announced by the incumbent president, therefore this situation is different, so we consider it correct to wait for the official announcement."
Image: Alexei Druzhinin/dpa/picture-alliance
China acknowledges win after week delay
On November 13, China congratulated Joe Biden on his victory nearly a week after he was declared the winner of the US presidential election. "We respect the choice of the American people," China's foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said. He added: "At the same time, the result will be confirmed according to US laws and procedures."
Image: Ju Peng/Xinhua/picture-alliance
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro
The right-wing president had said he would be the first leader in the world to congratulate Donald Trump. But Bolsonaro has remained silent on Biden. "I think the president is waiting for this imbroglio over fraudulent votes to be resolved," Vice President Hamilton Mourao told reporters. Bolsonaro will congratulate Biden "at the right time" and see what happens with Trump's lawsuits.
Image: Marcos Corrêa/Presidência da República do Brasil
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador
Lopez Obrador has said he was bound by the constitution from offering his congratulations to the winner until the legal disputes were sorted out, reiterating an earlier posture. "How can a president of Mexico become a judge and say: 'This
candidate won'?" Lopez Obrador told a news conference. He briefly referred to Biden as the "possible president-elect", before emphasizing Mexico took no side.
Image: Reuters/H. Romero
North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un
There has been no response to Biden's results from Kim. North Korean state media has been silent on the US elections as of Monday. But Pyongyang made no mention of Donald Trump's 2016 victory either until two days after his election. In the past, Kim has called Biden "a fool of low IQ." Biden, meanwhile, has described Kim as a "thug."
Image: Reuters/KCNA
Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa
The far-right anti-immigration Slovenian Democratic Party leader, who prematurely hailed Trump as the winner of the election long before the vote counts were near completion, is yet to congratulate Biden. Jansa has repeated allegations of voter fraud carried out by Democrats. He has tweeted, however, that Slovenia hoped for "friendly relations" with Washington.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/M. Leskovsek
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'America is back'
However, Biden said that the briefing "would be useful, but it's not necessary."
"Access to classified information is useful, but I'm not a position to make any of those decisions anyway. As I said, there's one president at a time, and he will be president until January 20. It would be nice to have it but it's not critical."
"We're going to do exactly what we'd be doing if he had conceded and said we've won, which we have."
When asked what words he had for Trump, Biden replied: "Mr. President: Look forward to speaking with you."
"There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration," Pompeo said during a press conference.
Pompeo said the world "should have every confidence" in the State Department's transition process.
Biden was declared the winner of the presidential election on Saturday by all major US broadcasters. World leaders, including those of Germany, Britain and France, have recognized Biden as the president-elect and held telephone calls with him.
