Biden sees Trump's obstruction "shameful" but says it won't affect him
The president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden, called this Tuesday "shameful" that the outgoing president, Donald Trump, refuses to admit defeat and predicted that this will be a stain on the legacy of his predecessor, but it will not hinder the transition process. In addition, Biden described the welcome he has received from the country's traditional allies in Europe and Canada as "gracious and energetic" and predicted that the United States will be "respected" again.
Meanwhile, the civilian leadership of the Pentagon resigned on Tuesday after US President Donald Trump on Monday threw out Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who this summer opposed sending military units to suffocate race riots.
In his first press conference since his victory in the US elections was confirmed on Saturday, Biden criticized the position of Trump, who does not admit that he lost the election and remains engaged in a futile legal strategy to dispute the result in several key states. "I just think it's embarrassing, to be very frank. It will not help the legacy of the president (Trump)," Biden said.
Asked if he had a message for Trump, the president-elect replied, "Mr. President, I hope to speak with you soon." However, Biden said that Trump's refusal to concede defeat "will not have many consequences" in the transition process, and that he will be able to develop without problems the preparations for his arrival to power, scheduled for January 20, 2021.
"We are going to do exactly what we would be doing if he (Trump) had acknowledged" defeat, the former vice president said. He assured that he will be able to get by without having access to classified intelligence information, as is the tradition for all elected presidents, something he described as "useful" but not essential, because he still does not have the necessary power "to make decisions on these matters."
Biden did not confirm press reports that his team is studying legal measures to circumvent the blockade imposed by Trump on the transition team.
He also stated that he has the necessary funds to deal with the process without the help of the General Services Administration (GSA), a body that depends on the federal government.
Routine certification of the election winner by the GSA, which has yet to acknowledge Biden's victory, allows the president-elect's team to access resources and government agencies to prepare for the transition.
Biden's press conference was impromptu and came after the president-elect gave a speech defending the 2010 health care reform known as Obamacare, hours after the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in a case he claims invalidate it. "This attempt (by the Republicans to overthrow Obamacare) is, in my opinion, simply cruel," Biden said about Tuesday's hearing in the Supreme Court, in which most of the justices hinted that they are not in favor of repealing that law.
The television network Fox news interrupted the broadcast of the appearance of the White House spokeswoman, Kayleigh McEnany, when she insisted on the electoral fraud of the Democrats without providing any evidence. "You are accusing the other party of celebrating fraud and illegal voting. If you do not have more details to support it, I can not continue broadcasting this," said presenter Neil Cavuto, interrupting some accusations that he considered "explosive" by McEnany.
This weekend, the three big television networks in the United States interrupted the live broadcast of Donald Trump's intervention because he accused without proof of electoral fraud by the Democrats.
Biden welcomes "energetic" global welcome to his triumph: "America is back"
Joe Biden described the welcome he has received from the country's traditional allies in Europe and Canada as "gracious and energetic" and predicted that the United States will be "respected" again.
"First of all, I am letting you know that the United States is back. We are going to get back in the game. It is no longer the United States alone," Biden said in his first press conference as president-elect, in a reference to the isolationism of the outgoing president, Donald Trump.
"I am confident that we will be able to put the United States back in the place of respect that it had before," he added. Biden thus described the content of the telephone conversations he has had so far with leaders of six countries in the world, after noting that he still has many unanswered calls to other leaders.
"The response (of those leaders to my electoral victory) has been obsequious and energetic," he said. Specifically, Biden spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday; the French President, Emmanuel Macron; the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and her Irish counterpart, Micheál Martin.
The first leader of another country to speak with Biden to congratulate him on his victory was Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, with whom he spoke on Monday; and the president-elect assured that he had spoken with a sixth leader, without identifying him.
The fact that the first contacts were concentrated in Europe and Canada is a sign of the importance that Biden attaches to rebuilding the relationship with those traditional allies of the United States, with whom ties have weakened under the Trump presidency.
The number of countries that have not yet recognized Biden has been shrinking, but still includes the two main powers in Latin America - Mexico and Brazil - as well as Russia and China.
Other leaders of countries that have maintained a good relationship with Trump - such as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan - have also decided to congratulate Biden after an initial silence.
Trump's refusal to acknowledge the results has created an uncomfortable situation for those charged with diplomacy with the United States, especially after the current Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, sided with the outgoing president.
"There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump Administration," Pompeo said defiantly during a news conference on Tuesday.
In his contacts this Tuesday with European leaders, Biden expressed his desire to "cooperate on a shared agenda with the European Union" (EU), which includes containing the covid-19 pandemic, global economic recovery and the fight against the climate crisis, according to a statement from his office.
"The president-elect expressed his interest in strengthening bilateral and transatlantic ties, through NATO and the EU," and in cooperating with France and other allies to deal with Iran's nuclear program and conflicts in Syria or Ukraine, it adds. that statement.
The civilian leadership of the Pentagon resigns after the dismissal of Esper by Trump
The civilian leadership of the Pentagon resigned on Tuesday after US President Donald Trump on Monday threw out Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who this summer opposed sending military units to quell race riots. .
According to a Pentagon statement, the top officials who have resigned are Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, James Anderson; the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security, Joseph Kernan; and the Chief of Staff of the Secretary of Defense, Jen Stewart.
The note explains that Anderson presented his letter of resignation to Trump on Wednesday and that his departure became effective today, thus assuming his responsibilities as Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, Anthony Tata, who until now had worked in that section of the Pentagon as a high-ranking official.
According to the text, Kernan also delivered his letter to inform of his resignation today, although, according to the Defense Department, he had been planning it for months.
His duties as Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security are now taken over by Ezra Cohen-Watnick, who until now had served as Acting Deputy Secretary for Low Intensity Conflicts.
Like the other two officials, Stewart's resignation occurred on Tuesday and will be replaced as Chief of Staff of the Defense Department by Kash Patel, who has been part of the staff of the White House National Security Council.