Biden starts transition with new website, Twitter account
His priorities are Covid-19, economic recovery, racial equity and climate change
WASHINGTON: US President-elect Joe Biden took the first steps towards moving into the White House 73 days from now, as US President Donald Trump again refused to admit defeat and tried to sow doubt about the election results.
With congratulations pouring in from world leaders and supporters, Mr Biden and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris launched a transition website, BuildBackBetter.com, and a Twitter feed, @Transition46.
Mr Biden's transition website lists four priorities: Covid-19, economic recovery, racial equity and climate change.
"The team being assembled will meet these challenges on Day One," it said in a reference to Jan 20, 2021, when Mr Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States.
Mr Biden was scheduled to name a task force yesterday to tackle the pandemic. The US has become the first country to cross 10 million cases.
He plans to rejoin the Paris climate accord and will issue an executive order on his first day in office reversing Mr Trump's travel ban on mostly Muslim countries. Mr Biden vowed to name a Cabinet that reflects the diversity of the country.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump played golf at his course. "Since when does the Lamestream Media call who our next president will be?" Mr Trump tweeted on Sunday.
His campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said Mr Trump will hold a series of rallies to build support for the legal fights challenging the outcome.
Mr Trump will seek to back up his as yet unsubstantiated accusations of fraud by highlighting obituaries of dead people the campaign said voted.
Mr Trump also announced teams to pursue recounts in several states.
Experts said that these efforts, like his lawsuits, are unlikely to be successful.
But his lawyer, Mr Rudy Giuliani, said he had "a lot of evidence" of fraud. He told Fox News that Mr Trump's team would file a lawsuit in Pennsylvania against officials "for violating civil rights, for conducting an unfair election (and) for violating the law of the state".
"The first lawsuit will be Pennsylvania. The second will either be Michigan or Georgia."
First Lady Melania Trump chipped in on Sunday: "The American people deserve fair elections. Every legal - not illegal - vote should be counted."
Speaking on CNN, senior Biden adviser Symone Sanders dismissed the court challenges as "baseless legal strategies".
Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a Trump ally, said Mr Trump should keep fighting. "We will work with Biden if he wins, but Trump has not lost," he said on Fox News.
In a victory speech on Saturday, Mr Biden promised to unify the nation and reached out to Trump supporters, saying: "They're not our enemies, they're Americans. Let's give each other a chance." - REUTERS
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