Trump staff told they’re ‘still in this fight’ as Biden moves ahead with transition

President’s campaign is waging lawsuits across the country and plans campaign-style rallies to challenge the vote

The Trump and Biden campaigns, already deeply different, are now living in two entirely separate worlds. 

President-elect Joe Biden has begun working with his transition team to set up his administration and gave an official address about coronavirus in front of a banner with the presidential seal. Meanwhile, top Trump campaign officials Bill Stepien and Justin Clark reportedly told senior staff that Mr Trump is “still in this fight,” as they pursue lawsuits in multiple states and plan campaign-style rallies to challenge the result.

News networks like the Associated Press called the election on Sunday for Mr Biden, but the General Services Administration, which manages the federal bureaucracy and formally recognises the president-elect, has yet to do so. Its Trump-appointed head, Emily Murphy, has not said when or if she will. (Congress ultimately certifies the electoral results on 6 January.)

Read more: Biden urges Americans to ‘just wear a mask’ as he warns 200k more could die

As the president continues to falsely claim he won the election, his inner circle is split over what to do next. Some, such as first lady Melania Trump and son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner have reportedly urged him to concede, while others say he will contest the election to the very end.

Despite the campaign’s confident (and unproven) claims Democrats fraudulently won the election, its dozen or so lawsuits around the country are mostly narrow in scope and unlikely to change the final election result. Judges have already dismissed actions or ruled against the campaign in Pennsylvania, Nevada, Georgia, and Michigan, while Democratic and Republican election officials in those states have refuted the campaign’s various claims of wide-scale voter disenfranchisement.

Read more: Follow The Independent’s live election updates