Trump appears to acknowledge for first-time that Biden could succeed him
14 November, 2020
President Donald Trump insisted on Friday (Nov 13) he'd never put the United States into a coronavirus lockdown but said "time will tell" if another administration takes office in January and does so, the closest he has come to acknowledging that President-elect Joe Biden could succeed him.
In his first public remarks since Biden last Saturday was widely projected the winner, Trump said he expects a coronavirus vaccine to be accessible for the whole population when April, amid a crush of new infections which has pushed daily case counts to record highs.
In broadcast remarks in the White House Rose Garden, Trump also seemed to acknowledge for the first time the possibility of the next Biden administration, though he stopped short of conceding the race and did not mention his Democratic rival by name.
"Ideally, we won't visit a lockdown. I'll not go, this administration will not be likely to a lockdown," he said. "Hopefully the, the - uh - whatever happens later on - who knows which administration will be. I assume time will tell."
Since the Nov 3 election, Trump has persisted with unfounded accusations of widespread voting fraud. But while he has continued to create such claims on Twitter, he didn't repeat them in his public remarks on Friday.
The last time Trump spoke - in the White House briefing room two days following the election - he said without evidence that if "legal" votes were counted he'd "easily win" the election.
Biden solidified his victory over Trump on Friday following the state of Georgia went his way, leaving Trump little hope of reversing the outcome through legal challenges and recounts.
The Republican president said on Friday that he expects a crisis use authorisation for Pfizer's vaccine "extremely soon."
Pfizer has said it expects to report required safety data in a few days and can then apply for an emergency use authorisation.
The remarks came after Trump received an update on 'Operation Warp Speed,' an administration effort to turbocharge development of a vaccine.
Criticism of the administration's response to the virus, which includes killed over 235,000 Americans, became a rallying cry for Democrats ahead of the elections.
Source: www.channelnewsasia.com