US election 2020: Biden says White House co-operation ‘sincere’
US President-elect Joe Biden says the White House has so far been “sincere” in helping his transition to power.
“It has not been begrudging so far, and I don’t expect it to be,” he told NBC News in an interview.
He spoke as he unveiled his choice of top officials for when he takes over from Donald Trump in January.
Mr Trump finally agreed to allow the formal transition process to begin on Monday, nearly three weeks after the presidential election.
Yet he still refuses to admit defeat, repeating unsubstantiated claims that the 3 November vote was “rigged”.
President Trump’s efforts to challenge the results in key states in courts have so far failed. On Tuesday, Pennsylvania and Nevada officially certified Mr Biden’s victory, a day after the same outcome was announced in Michigan.
What was Biden’s message?
Speaking to NBC’s Nightly News, he confirmed he had not yet spoken to the president but added that he did not expect the beginning of his term to be affected by the delay in beginning the transition.
“It’s a slow start but it’s starting and there’s two months left to go, so I’m feeling good about the ability to be able to get up to speed,” he said.
There were, he said, plans for him to meet the Covid-19 task force in the White House about vaccine distribution and access.
As well as getting the Presidential Daily Brief – an update on international threats and developments – Mr Biden can now access key government officials and millions of dollars in funds as he prepares to take over on 20 January.
Mr Biden, who previously served as Barack Obama’s vice-president, said that his time in office would not be a “third Obama term” because “we face a totally different world than we faced in the Obama-Biden administration”.
“America is back” and “ready to lead the world, not retreat from it”, he said when he introduced his future team earlier on Tuesday in Wilmington, Delaware.
He also told reporters he had discussed the Irish border issue with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other leaders.
bbc