WASHINGTON • The transition to US President-elect Joe Biden's administration remained in political limbo yesterday, after Mr Donald Trump insisted the former vice-president had won the White House only in the eyes of the media, and vowed to keep fighting what he called a "rigged" election.
Mr Biden has spent his days since his victory huddled with advisers as he weighs his appointments to the Cabinet, fields congratulatory calls from world leaders and maps out policies to pursue after being sworn in on Jan 20.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump has continued to press unsubstantiated allegations of fraud, stalling the process of preparing for a new presidential administration.
In tweets yesterday, Mr Trump wrote that Mr Biden "won because the Election was Rigged".
"NO VOTE WATCHERS OR OBSERVERS allowed, vote tabulated by a Radical Left privately owned company, Dominion, with a bad reputation & bum equipment that couldn't even qualify for Texas (which I won by a lot!), the Fake & Silent Media, & more!"
In another tweet shortly after media reported that his posts appeared to show he had conceded the outcome of the Nov 3 election, Mr Trump wrote: "He only won in the eyes of the FAKE NEWS MEDIA. I concede NOTHING!"
The Republican president's campaign has filed lawsuits seeking to overturn the results in multiple states, though without success. Election officials of both parties have said there is no evidence of major irregularities.
Meanwhile, the "Million Maga March", referring to Mr Trump's campaign slogan of "Make America Great Again", drew a crowd of flag-waving supporters to downtown Washington last Saturday.
Mr Trump's motorcade passed through the crowd on its way to his golf course in Virginia, producing cheers from demonstrators as he waved from the car.
The march was largely peaceful, though numerous scuffles broke out between Trump supporters and counter-protesters. One person was stabbed and taken to a trauma centre.
Dozens of Proud Boys, a far-right group, marched in the streets, some wearing helmets and ballistic vests, while members of the loose far-left movement known as antifa staged their own counter-demonstrations.
The city's police force arrested at least 10 people, including several who were charged with assault.
Mr Biden has won 306 votes in the state-by-state electoral college system that determines the presidential winner, according to Edison Research, far more than the 270 needed to secure a majority.
Mr Trump earned the same number of electoral votes in 2016 over Mrs Hillary Clinton, a victory he has called a "landslide" despite the fact that she won the national popular vote.
Mr Biden has also won the popular vote: With a few states still counting ballots, he leads Mr Trump by more than 5.5 million votes, or 3.6 per cent.
With his chances of reversing the outcome virtually extinguished, Mr Trump has discussed with advisers potential media ventures that would keep him in the spotlight ahead of a possible 2024 White House bid, aides said.
But his public claims of a "rigged" election have prevented Mr Biden and his team from gaining access to government office space and the funding normally afforded to an incoming administration to ensure a smooth transition.
The federal agency in charge of providing those resources has yet to recognise Mr Biden's win.
States are in the process of certifying their election results. The electoral college meets to vote for the new president on Dec 14.
Mr Biden's pick for White House chief of staff, Mr Ron Klain, has said that a rapid transition is necessary to ensure the government is prepared to roll out a potential Covid-19 vaccine early next year.
The raging pandemic will likely be Mr Biden's top priority.
The United States set a new daily record of new cases last Friday for the fourth straight day.
REUTERS
