Chris Sommerfeldt
New York Daily News
Even President Trump knows it’s over.
Trump admitted for the first time early Thursday that he lost the 2020 election and committed to an “orderly” transition of power after Congress certified President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.
“Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th,” Trump said in a statement. “I have always said we would continue our fight to ensure that only legal votes were counted. While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history, it’s only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again!”
Trump’s long-delayed admission came after one of the darkest days in modern American history played out on Capitol Hill.
Incited by Trump, a mob of far-right rioters, many armed, stormed the U.S. Capitol while lawmakers were counting the Electoral College votes in the final step before Biden’s inauguration, resulting in four deaths and a lengthy delay of the certification process.
The joint session was reconvened Wednesday evening, with several GOP lawmakers who had earlier pledged to object to some states’ results saying they would no longer do so.Lawmakers reconvened after the Capitol building was cleared and resumed counting Wednesday evening.
The 270-vote threshold was crossed early Thursday in Washington, D.C., when lawmakers from both chambers certified the election results from Vermont without objection in a joint session. That came after the Senate and House separately swept aside objections brought by some Republicans to Biden’s win in Pennsylvania, the state where he was born, which accounts for 20 electoral votes.
Vermont’s three electoral votes for Biden were quickly accepted by Congress, putting him over the top with 271.
Biden will be inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States on Jan. 20.
Trump’s commitment to a peaceful transfer of power came after several White House officials resigned in protest of his handling of Wednesday’s Capitol chaos.
Also Wednesday, members of Trump’s Cabinet began discussing the idea of using the 25th Amendment to remove him from office on grounds that he’s a danger to the nation, according to reports.
The Los Angeles Times also contributed to this report
