Biden: The White House's Cooperation for the Transition So far Sincere
US President-elect Joe Biden said the White House response to the government transition so far was "sincere".
"There has been no reluctance so far, and I don't expect it to be," Biden told NBC News.
Biden issued this statement after announcing his elect to fill key positions in the new cabinet that will replace Donald Trump's administration in January.
Trump finally agreed to begin a formal transition process on Monday, nearly three weeks after the election was over.
However, Trump still refuses to announce his defeat and has repeatedly claimed the November 3 election was "fraudulent", albeit without basis.
What did Biden say?
Biden told NBC's Nightly News program that he had not spoken directly to Trump, but he also added that he did not want his term to be affected by the delay in the transition period.
"This is a slow start, but it is still a start. There are still two months to go, and I feel confident we can increase the pace," he said.
Although, he continued, he had already planned to meet with the COVID-19 task force at the White House to discuss vaccine distribution and access.
Biden will also begin receiving the Presidential Daily Report - an update on international threats and developments - as well as gaining access to top government officials, as well as millions of dollars in funding while preparing to take over the leadership on January 20.
Former vice president Barack Obama also said his term in office this time will not be "Obama's third term", because "We are facing a world that is far different from the one we faced in the Obama-Biden administration".
"America is back" and "Ready to lead the world, not back away from it," he said as he introduced his elect to fill crucial positions.
Biden also told reporters that he had discussions about the Irish border with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other leaders of the country.
Biden, who is of Irish descent, said he opposed the tightly guarded borders and insisted on open borders: "The idea of a closed border for north and south [Ireland] once again doesn't feel right."
Joe Biden's elect
On Tuesday (24/11), Joe Biden officially introduced a number of people he chose to fill six key positions in his cabinet.
Many, elected and previously announced, were partners with Biden when he was vice president in the Barack Obama administration.
Former US Secretary of State, John Kerry, will serve as special envoy on climate when US President-elect Joe Biden takes office.
Kerry was one of a number of people appointed to top posts by Biden's transition team on Monday.
Previously, Trump claimed election fraud without providing evidence and continued to pursue lawsuits over the election results.
Biden is projected to beat President Trump by 306 votes to 232 when the US electoral college will formally meet to confirm the winner of the December 14 election. That figure is well above the 270 votes needed to win the presidential election.
In a statement following Monday's announcement, Biden said, "I need a team ready from day one to help me reclaim America's position as leader at the negotiating table, unite the world to face the greatest challenges we face, and advance security, prosperity, and our values. This is the core of that team. "
Several positions have yet to be confirmed by the US Senate.
New position for John Kerry
Kerry was elected as the president's special envoy for climate.
Biden's transition team said the position would give Kerry the authority to "fight climate change full-time". He will also become the first official dedicated to climate change and sit on the National Security Council.
Kerry signed the Paris Climate Agreement on behalf of the US in 2016. The essence of the deal is to get countries to commit to working to limit rising global temperatures.
Under Trump, the US recently became the first country to formally withdraw from the agreement. But Biden said he plans to rejoin the deal as soon as possible.
In 2019, Kerry built a coalition involving world leaders and celebrities - dubbed World War Zero - to call for action on climate change and net zero carbon emissions.
Following news of his new role on Monday, Kerry said in a tweet: "America will soon have a government that treats the climate crisis as an urgent national security threat."
Kerry previously served as foreign minister during Barack Obama's second term as president. As a veteran Democratic politician, Kerry lost the election to Republican president George W Bush, who was an incumbent in the 2004 presidential election.
Kerry served as a senator for 28 years and chaired the foreign relations committee.
He supported Biden to become a Democratic Party candidate in the 2020 election and joined him on the campaign trail.
Six people to choose from
Antony Blinken, minister of foreign affairs. The 58-year-old served as deputy foreign minister and deputy national security adviser during Barack Obama's administration. Blinken said the United States would soon restore relations with countries "on an equal footing and with confidence and humility".
John Kerry, special envoy for climate change. He was a co-designer of the Paris Climate Accord, which President Trump withdrew. Kerry said the world must "stick together to end the climate crisis".
Avril Haines, first female director for national intelligence. Haines is a former deputy director of the CIA and deputy national security advisor. Biden said: "I chose a professional, a determined advocate, to expose the truth."
Alejandro Mayorkas, the first Latino descent as minister of homeland security. He previously served as deputy homeland security minister under President Obama. Mayorkas said his department had a "noble mission, to help keep us safe and advance the history we pride ourselves on as a welcoming country".
Jake Sullivan, White House national security adviser. Sullivan served as Biden's national security adviser during Obama's second term. Sullivan lauded Biden, who he said had taught governance and "most importantly human nature".
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US ambassador to the United Nations. He has also served under President Obama, including as assistant secretary of state for African affairs from 2013 to 2017.
One other figure who is expected to be elected but not yet officially announced is the former chairman of the Federal Reserve, Janet Yellen, as finance minister.
Biden projects stability and familiarity
In his choice of the national security team, Joe Biden has signaled that the US will continue its conventional international role, after four turbulent years under Donald Trump's leadership of America's "America First" approach.
Biden appointed Obama administration veterans to top posts and appointed a career diplomat sidelined by the Trump administration.
His choice of foreign minister, Antony Blinken, was a supporter of the global alliance approach. Blinken will lead efforts to rebuild ties with allies and rejoin the various agreements and institutions Trump rejected. And there is no doubt that he will speak for Biden within the White House: Blinken has been advising Biden on foreign policy for quite a long time, even being described as an alter ego.
Another familiar face is former Secretary of State John Kerry. Biden's decision to give Kerry a new ministerial-level position as special climate envoy shows he will respond to the issue of climate change as a significant national security threat.
However, even with the old team, this will not be Obama 2.0: the landscape has changed, both in America and the world, over the last four years. Still, Biden projects stability and familiarity, and international leaders know what they're in for.
What about calls for Trump to give up?
Donald Trump has now accepted that a formal leadership transition must begin for President-elect Joe Biden to take office.
But Trump promised to continue fighting for his election defeat. So far, he has pursued legal action in several states with the aim of reversing his losses. However, nothing came to fruition.
The latest setback he experienced came last Saturday, when a judge rejected his bid to get millions of votes by mail in Pennsylvania that had previously been declared invalid.
The decision came amid growing calls for Trump to accept defeat.
Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, a prominent Trump ally, called the president's legal team a "national disgrace".
"I became a supporter of the president. I voted for him twice. But elections have consequences, and we cannot continue to act as if something is happening here is not happening," he told the ABC.
Another well-known Trump supporter, Stephen Schwarzman, CEO of investment firm Blackstone, also said it was time for Trump to accept his defeat.
"Like many of the business community, I am prepared to assist President-elect Biden and his team as they face significant challenges in rebuilding the post-COVID economy," he said in a statement reported by US media.
Several Republican lawmakers have also acknowledged Trump's defeat in the presidential election.
