Trump's refusal to concede has consequences for Biden's transition
Joe Biden was declared President-elect by the Associated Press on Nov. 7, when Pennsylvania reported their ballot count. Even though Biden has won 290 electoral votes and racked up nearly 6 million more votes, Trump has yet to concede.
According to Bloomberg, Trump internally acknowledged the defeat with aides and advisors, even as he continues to publicly discredit the outcome. His campaign has filed almost a dozen lawsuits, most attempting to halt the vote-counting process or disqualify groups of ballots.
Trump’s refusal to concede has delayed the start of the official transition to President-elect Joe Biden’s administration. General Services Administration leader Emily Murphy has yet to acknowledge Biden's election win — a necessary first step before the president-elect can receive resources for a transition of government.
Recognition from the GSA permits access to federal departments, agencies, personnel, funds, and daily intelligence briefings. It would also allow Biden’s transition team to coordinate with the White House’s coronavirus task force.
Meanwhile, Trump and his surrogates continue to push theories about voter fraud without evidence. Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani made claims of a “communist” plot to rig voting machines in a press conference Thursday, while hair dye-colored sweat appeared to drip down the sides of his face.
The Trump campaign is paying $3 million to recount votes in two Wisconsin counties. They dropped an election-related lawsuit in Michigan and instead, in an extraordinary move, invited top Michigan GOP legislators to the White House. The invitation is reportedly part of a strategy to get friendly state legislatures to appoint electors who would overturn the will of the voters, subverting the democratic process, according to the Associated Press.