Following weeks of back and forths, the US President Donald Trump has appeared to publicly acknowledge the victory of his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, as he makes further allegations of election rigging.
While verified sources have announced Biden’s win at the polls, with several international leaders offering their congratulations and support for the new government, Americans seem to be in a never-ending loop set in motion by its outgoing president. As inauguration day draws closer, Trump remains dogged in his resolve to not concede the election.
The president, without using Biden’s name, said “He won” as part of a tweet that made claims about a “rigged” election. However, as the Republican president saw how his comments were being interpreted as his first public acknowledgement of a Biden victory, he quickly reversed course.
“He only won in the eyes of the FAKE NEWS MEDIA,” Trump subsequently tweeted. “I concede NOTHING! We have a long way to go. This was a RIGGED ELECTION!”
As part of its new regulations, Twitter flagged both tweets as “disputed.”
Trump’s allegations come just as election officials from both political parties have reiterated publicly that the election went well, as international observers also confirmed there were no serious irregularities. Since results confirmed Biden’s win, Trump’s campaign has tried to mount legal challenges across the country, but many of the lawsuits have been thrown out and none has included any evidence that the outcome might be reversed.
Biden’s Response
“If the president’s prepared to begin to recognise that reality, that’s positive,” Biden’s incoming chief of staff, Ron Klain, told NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Still, Klain said: “Donald Trump’s Twitter feed doesn’t make Joe Biden president or not president. The American people did that.”
Biden, a Democrat, defeated Trump by winning back a trio of battleground states: Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, topping the 270 electoral vote threshold to clinch the US presidency. Biden, so far, has 78.8 million votes, the most ever by a winning candidate, to Trump’s 73.1 million.
