President-elect Joe Biden was holding a press conference on the U.S. economy at the Queen Theater in Wilmington, Delaware on November 16, when a reporter asked about his thoughts on Donald Trump‘s refusal to concede the 2020 presidential election.
The reporter asks, “I wanna get your thoughts on the president’s tweet over the weekend where he first seemed to acknowledge that you won — then he said he won’t concede, and then he said ‘I won’t.’ How do you interpret that and at the end of the day, do you want him to concede?”
“I interpret that as Trump-ism,” says Biden. “No change in his modus operandi. I think the pressure will continue – but look, I’m having a lot of meetings with world leaders on the telephone. I can’t begin to negotiate with them about things that are going to be done, but they are calling with some degree of enthusiasm.”
“We’re moving along, knowing what the outcome will be,” Biden continues. “As I said earlier, and I probably shouldn’t repeat it, but I find this more embarrassing for the country than debilitating for my ability to get started.”
“I find this more embarrassing for the country then debilitating for my ability to get started” — Biden on Trump’s refusal to concede
This isn’t the first Biden has called Trump’s reaction to the election results embarrassing. During a press conference defending the Affordable Care Act last week, he said that Trump’s refusal to accept defeat was “an embarrassment” that “will not help the president’s legacy,” and assured reporters that this hasn’t halted his team from beginning the transition process.
“We don’t see anything slowing us down, quite frankly,” Biden said. While it would be “useful” for Trump to concede, the president-elect said his transition team “can get through without the funding.”
Biden Called Out Trump for Playing Golf While Congress Struggles to Pass a Second Stimulus Bill
GettyTrump was golfing at his golf course in Virginia while Biden was officially announced as the 46th President of the United States.
As for the issue of long-term unemployment issues in America after the pandemic hit, Biden said the solution was easy. “I would pass the HEROES Act,” Biden said. “It has all the money and capacity to take care of all of those things now – not tomorrow – now.
“And the idea that the president is still playing golf and not doing anything about it – is beyond my comprehension,” Biden said. “You’d think he’d want to go out on a positive note – but what is he doing? And there’s virtually no discussion.”
Biden Believes GOP Supporters Defending Trump Are ‘Mildly Intimidated’ by the President
Biden has remained focused and publicly unbothered by Trump’s refusal to step down and by Republican lawmakers defending his baseless claims of a fraudulent election. On November 10, Biden said that Trump was receiving support from his GOP base because they’re scared of him.
“I think that the whole Republican Party has been put in the position — with a few notable exceptions — of being mildly intimidated by the sitting President,” Biden said.
When Biden was specifically asked about Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying that the administration was planning for “a smooth transition” for Trump’s second term, the president-elect couldn’t help but laugh. Biden refused to give “any of the assertions made by the president or secretary of State Pompeo” credence and continued to laugh after saying Pompeo’s name aloud.
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