Trump faces pressure from allies to concede to Biden

Bloomberg

President Donald Trump is facing rising pressure from prominent Republicans to begin a transition to President-elect Joe Biden — or even concede defeat — as Trump’s long-shot legal challenges failed to gain traction.
Several key allies for Trump appeared to lose their patience over the weekend. Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota — one of Trump’s staunchest allies — called for the transition to Biden to begin. Senator Pat Toomey congratulated Biden on his victory after Trump suffered another legal defeat in Pennsylvania.
The comments show a growing chorus within the party acknowledging that Biden won the election — or is all but certain to — and that delaying the transition of power risks impeding critical programs like the US response to the coronavirus pandemic. Still, only a minority of Republicans have spoken out, and several have taken a hedged stance that Trump should begin the transition even as the legal fight continues.
But even the court challenges are losing support. Longtime Trump adviser Chris Christie said the president’s legal team had become a “national embarrassment” after pushing conspiracy theories about voter fraud in a series of bizarre media appearances. Larry Hogan, the Republican governor of Maryland who’s an outspoken Trump critic, told the president to “stop golfing and concede.”
Other national-level figures, most notably Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, have declined to speak out so far.
But the president’s time is running out, as states including Michigan and Pennsylvania were preparing to certify their election results as soon as Monday, sealing Biden’s victory.
“It’s past time to start a transition, to at least cooperate with the transition. I’d rather have a president that has more than one day to prepare, should Joe Biden, you know, end up winning this,” Cramer told Meet The Press.
Cramer said the election is “very likely” over but isn’t yet over, and gave Trump leeway to keep up his legal fight. “I don’t know why we’re so easily offended by a president that’s carrying out all of his legal options in court.”
Biden’s team has become more vocal in calling for the transition to start, warning that the delay could impede the rollout of a coronavirus vaccine and
hinder other key government programs.

Foreign officials ‘impressed’ by US democracy: Trump aide
Bloomberg

As even some top Republicans begin criticising President Donald Trump for continuing to challenge the election results, one of his top aides said that foreign officials are impressed with the resilience of US democratic institutions.
National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien, who is visiting Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines, said that Trump “has every right” to raise concerns about the election in the courts. He said there would be continuity of government on Jan. 20, whether it be a second term for Trump or an administration led by President-elect Joe Biden.
“There will be a transition if the courts don’t rule in President Trump’s favor,” O’Brien said at a briefing in Manila. “It will be a professional transition.”