President-elect Joe Biden, in his first interview since the election, says the transition with the administration of President Donald Trump has begun in earnest, although he has not yet been contacted by his opponent.
Biden, said despite the “slow start”, the effort from the Trump administration has so far been “sincere”, even as the president has continued to refuse to concede defeat.
While Biden launched a transition team shortly after media organisations projected his victory on November 7, he had not had access to government agencies and federal transition funding. That changed on Monday when the Trump-appointed administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA) officially recognised Biden as the “apparent president-elect”.
Before the GSA recognition, Biden’s team had increased pressure on Trump to allow cooperation from the about 40 agencies that make up his administration. They warned delays could hamper the distribution of coronavirus vaccines and weaken national security when Biden takes office on January 20.