It has been more than a week since Election Day, and President Donald Trump is still reluctant to concede. The president is living in his own reality, where he has won the election and will serve another term as the president of the United States.
President-elect Joe Biden transition plan is finally here, even while the president is still showing no sign of accepting the election results. The Trump administration is filing lawsuits claiming election fraud and mishandling in battleground states, as President Donald Trump will leave no stone unturned to get another four-year term as the president.
When everyone was expecting that President Trump may concede during his speech regarding the COVID-19 vaccine, he showed no intention of conceding the elections. However, while talking about the future of a lockdown in the USA, he said that he doesn’t know what the “future administration” will do regarding locking down the USA amid the COVID outbreak. Although it is not a clear indicator of conceding the elections, he avoided any explicit talk regarding the elections in his speech for the first time since after the elections.
Republican Congressmen are also asking for an intelligence briefing to be given to the president-elect on matters of national security which will further promote the Biden transition plan. The process of presidential transition usually begins a month before the inauguration day, but this year, it seems that the process will be delayed due to the lawsuits on election results, delayed results, and refusal of the president to concede.
In the article, Biden moves forward with the transition plan, we will be exploring the most recent developments in the political landscape of the United States.
Biden Transition Plan: President-Elect chooses White House Chief of Staff:
As a first step to moving forward with the Biden transition plan, President-elect Joe Biden has named his White House Chief of Staff. The President-elect has named his longtime aide and a White House veteran Ron Klain as his White House Chief of Staff.
Klain was also the chief of staff with Biden when he was vice-president. Klain is known for his extraordinary service during the outbreak of the Ebola virus and during the financial crisis of 2008 and 2009.
Klain also worked with Biden in his failed attempts for the presidency in 1988 and 2008. Moreover, he has also been a close advisor when President-elect Joe Biden was serving in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Bringing Klain in such times will be very helpful to the Biden-Harris team, as he has experience in fighting with a pandemic and a financial crisis. These two are the most important issues that the country is going through now, and choosing Klain shows the sincerity of the Biden-Harris team for these issues.
In his statement after the announcement, Klain described this opportunity as the honor of a lifetime for him. Rahm Emanuel, the chief of staff with former President Barak Obama, says that Klain will bring more than trust to this job. He added that Klain is experienced and familiar with the situations that the country is going through, which makes him the best person for the job.
Republican Senators push for a presidential daily briefing to Biden promoting Biden Transition Plan further
As Trump is reluctant to concede, his party members are pushing forward to a presidential daily briefing to President-elect Joe Biden.
Senator James Lankford from Oklahoma, in his recent interview on the radio, said that the President-elect should receive a daily presidential briefing, and if it does not happen by the end of this week, he will step in to make this happen.
Senator Lankford said that he has already begun to engage in this matter, and the General Services Administration will start the transition process soon.
It should be noted that the administrator of the General Services Administration, Emily W. Murphy, holds the legal authority to begin the transition process. The General Services Administration is responsible for recognizing Biden as President-elect, releasing federal funds for the transition process, and interacting Biden’s team with different agencies.
Several other Republicans have publicly accepted Joe Biden as the President-elect. Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine also said that the country needs to accept Joe Biden as the next President of the United States.
Delaying presidential briefings has considerable consequences, as the incoming president must be aware of what is going in the world. This is the reason why many Republican Senators are promoting the Biden transition plan. Chris Lu, the director of Barak Obama’s transition plan, said that the practice being adopted by the current administration is a threat to norms and “goes beyond abnormal.”
General Services Administration has not reached Biden
As mentioned above, the General Services Administration is responsible for the completion of the Biden transition plan. The certifying letters were sent to Barak Obama and President Donald Trump within hours after their projected lead.
President-elect Joe Biden has not received any certifying letters from the General Services Administration, even though he has attained a historic lead. The department says that the delay is caused by the lawsuits on election results.
Democratic Senator Tim Kaine has termed this delay as “senseless.” He said that he is leading an effort from the Senators to reach the General Services Administration and ask them to continue with the process.
He also added that the department could continue with the transition process even as lawsuits continue to be filled by the Trump Administration.
Democratic Senator Joe Manchin says that if the Biden transition plan process starts after the Electoral College certification, there will still be enough time for a smooth and peaceful transition. He added that the lawsuits made by the Trump administration are baseless, and therefore, will make no difference.
Biden transition plan goes global: President-elect Biden talks with the Pope and other world leaders
President-elect spoke with Pope Francis on the phone this Thursday, as more and more world leaders acknowledge Biden’s victory in the presidential elections. According to the Biden team, the president-elect thanked the Pope for his blessings and support.
Biden will be the second Roman Catholic to hold the office of the President of the United States, the first one being John F. Kennedy. In the call, Biden expressed his desire to work for the betterment of humanity, caring for the poor, addressing the issues of climate change, and to open the doors of the country for immigrants and refugees.
The president-elect also received calls from Asia-Pacific based allies of the United States. These include leaders from Australia, Japan, and South Korea. An explanation of the calls was given on the transition website by the Biden team, saying that the president-elect has assured the leaders of his support and addressed each nation’s particular concerns.
Moreover, reports are also coming in regarding the stack of messages from the world leaders sitting at the State Department, as the Trump Administration is not allowing Biden to access them.
Traditionally, the president-elect is given access within a few days, so the global leaders can send their messages to congratulate the president-elect upon his victory. However, the Biden team is in touch with the foreign leaders to receive their messages without any help from the State Department.
Conclusion
President-elect Joe Biden has attained a historic lead over President Donald Trump in popular votes as well as in the Electoral College. The General Services Administration has not initiated the promotion of the Biden transition plan, as lawsuits continue to be filled by the Trump administration.
Joe Biden has named his White House Chief of Staff, starting the presidential transition process from his side. President Trump is still reluctant to accept the results, and so the administration is not starting the process.
The Biden team is having a hard time with the process, as the administration is not cooperating. Many Republican Senators have come up with the suggestion that the transition process should start as soon as possible.
Eli is a Political Data Scientist with over thirty years of experience in Data Engineering, Analytics, and Digital Marketing. Eli uses his expertise to give the latest information and distinctive analysis on US Political News, US Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, and Racial Justice equipping readers with the inequivalent knowledge.