Biden’s warning to Trump
President-elect keen to start working on combating effects of coronavirus pandemic
PRESIDENT-elect Joe Biden on Monday ratcheted up pressure on the Trump administration to engage in a transition of power, mincing no words on the dire consequences if his incoming team faces further delays in working with federal agencies.
“More people may die if we don’t co-ordinate,” Biden said during a news conference in Wilmington, Delaware, following remarks on the economic impact of the coronavirus in which he warned of a “very dark winter” where “things are going to get much tougher before they get easier”.
He also pointed out the absurdity that Senator Kamala Harris, vice-presidentelect, still has access to classified intelligence briefings because she is a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. But Biden himself is not able to get those briefings because Trump’s administration has yet to acknowledge that Biden won the election.
Biden, generally refrained, however, from threatening Trump. “I am hopeful that the president will be mildly more enlightened before we get to January 20,” he said at one point.
He said that the lack of cooperation so far was not yet significantly affecting his ability to build a team and chart a path.
“I find this more embarrassing for the country than debilitating for my ability to get started,” he said.
Biden’s attempt to increase pressure on Trump to behave like previous presidents came on a day the man in the White House began with a declarative, if false, tweet: “I won the Election”.
Trump went on to criticise the Georgia recount being conducted by Republican officials; praise OAN, a competitor to Fox News, which angered him with a correct projection of Biden’s win in Arizona; suggest a challenge to Ohio’s Republican governor, Mike DeWine, after he referred to Biden as the “president-elect”; and vent about Democrats and the news media.
Trump’s White House, meanwhile, has instructed senior government leaders to block any co-operation with Biden’s transition team.
Without entrée into the workings and plans of the current administration, Biden said he would focus on meeting with business and labour leaders, staffing the White House and forming his cabinet.
Biden also said on Monday that Trump’s lack of co-operation had not stopped foreign leaders from calling to congratulate him.
“They’re calling with some degree of enthusiasm – everyone from the Holy Father to prime ministers across the globe,” Biden said. “So we’re moving along knowing what the outcome will be.”
Biden officials see their most crucial disadvantage as being unable to plan for the distribution of a coronavirus vaccine, which would need to be closely co-ordinated with current Trump administration officials and civil servants who work in important government departments such as Health and Human Services and
Defence.
“A vaccine is important. It’s of little use until you’re vaccinated. So how do we get over 300 million Americans vaccinated?” Biden asked.
Ideally, while some work may be under way within the Trump administration to plan for the distribution of a vaccine, Biden officials would be clued in so that their transition to running the programme would be seamless.
“If we have to wait until January 20 to start that planning, it puts us behind – over a month, month and a half,” Biden said. “And so, it’s important that it be done, that there is co-operation. Now. Now, or as rapidly as we can get that done.”
Top Biden advisers are hoping to meet with drug companies, including Pfizer and Moderna, which are developing some of the vaccines, but those meetings would take place outside of government channels and may not include details on government-run distribution.