Questions still remain about whether and when President Donald Trump will concede the election to President-elect Joe Biden (D).
But, speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said, “I think we ought to quit all the hand wringing and not act like this is extraordinary. We’re going to get through this period.”
“And we’ll swear in the winner on January 20, 2021, just like we have every four years since 1793,” he added.
#BREAKING: Sen. Mitch McConnell says "We ought to quit all the hand wringing" about President Trump not conceding to President-elect Joe Biden. pic.twitter.com/DhxvA6SKQq
— The Hill (@thehill) November 10, 2020
While several major news outlets called the race for Biden on Saturday, Trump has not accepted their call and claimed, “the simple fact is this election is far from over.”
On Sunday, he sent out a tweet asking, “Since when does the Lamestream Media call who our next president will be?”
Since when does the Lamestream Media call who our next president will be? We have all learned a lot in the last two weeks!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 8, 2020
While news outlets have called the race for Biden, the states have yet to certify their vote counts, and the media’s prediction has no bearing on the outcome of the final vote count and outcome.
On Tuesday, Biden was asked what message he believes Trump’s delay in conceding the race sends to Americans. He said, “I just think it’s an embarrassment, quite frankly … It will not help the President’s legacy.”
“I think at the end of the day it’s all going to come to fruition on January 20, and between now and then my hope and expectation is that the American people … do know and do understand that there has been a transition,” he added.
While Trump has not publicly accepted the results, many Republican senators have also decided to avoid congratulating Biden.
When McConnell was asked why members of his caucus had not offered their congratulations to Biden, he said, “Until the Electoral College votes, anyone who’s running for office can exhaust concerns about counting in any court of appropriate jurisdiction.”
“That’s not unusual. It should not be alarming,” he added.
Additionally, he has said that Trump is “within his rights” to look into alleged voting irregularities.