Trump placed a memorial wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia to mark Remembrance Day – or Veterans Day,as it is more widely known in the US.
US President Donald Trump participates in a Veterans Day ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia on Wednesday.AP
It was his first appearance – other than two private golf outings – since in which he made unsubstantiated claims of election fraud.
The President-elect and his wife,Jill Biden,marked Veterans Day with a visit to the Korean War Memorial in Philadelphia.
Trump,who honoured veterans in a ceremony that was held during a steady rain,has spent the last few days holed up at the White House tweeting angry,baseless allegations.
Now that Biden is headed to the White House after winning the US election,here is a look at some of the policies the president-elect and his team want to take on 'on Day One' or early in his four-year term in office.
The President has made no public comment since Biden to win the presidency,and has refused to conceded the election.
His resistance to acknowledging the outcome of the race risks stalling the transition process as the head of the General Services Administration,a Trump appointee,has held off on certifying Biden as the winner of the election.
The certification – known as ascertainment – frees up money for the transition and clears the way for Biden’s team to begin putting in place the transition process at agencies. Biden on Tuesday called the situation.
Although his official schedule has been devoid of public events,Trump has made several personnel moves — and installing three staunch loyalists in top defence jobs. Trump's pick to serve as acting was among the Pentagon brass to join the President,first lady Melania and Vice-President Mike Pence for the Veterans Day ceremony.
Trump files new legal claim
Elsewhere on Wednesday,Trump's legal team pushed ahead with its long-shot litigation strategy to try to upend Biden's victory by filing a lawsuit in Michigan.
The President's team went to federal court to try to block Michigan,a battleground state that he won in 2016,from certifying the election results. Trump trailed by roughly 148,000 votes,or 2.6 percentage points,in unofficial Michigan vote totals. The Michigan lawsuit makes allegations of misconduct in the voting.
Jake Rollow,a spokesman for the Michigan Department of State,said in a statement the Trump campaign was promoting false claims to erode public confidence in Michigan's elections.
"It does not change the truth:Michigan's elections were conducted fairly,securely,transparently,and the results are an accurate reflection of the will of the people,"Rollow said.
President-elect Joe Biden said his transition was proceeding smoothly,despite Donald Trump's refusal to acknowledge defeat.AP
Trump did have a minor win on Wednesday after being awarded Alaska's three Electoral College votes,but the win has no effect on the overall outcome of the election. Alaska was yet to be called for either candidate;other states are still subject to recounts.
In Georgia,Biden has a narrow lead – another state Trump won in 2016 – and that result is heading toward a recount.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger told a news conference on Wednesday that the state would conduct a hand recount of all ballots. He said the results would be certified by November 20.
Nearly 80 per cent of Americans,including half of Republicans,say Biden is the rightful winner of the election,according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday.
Trump's refusal to accept defeat,even as world leaders congratulate Biden and look to their future relations with the United States,caps a tumultuous four years in office.
Reuters,AP
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Understand the election result and its aftermath with expert analysis from US correspondent Matthew Knott. Sign up toThe Sydney MorningHerald's newsletterhere,The Age'shere,Brisbane Times'here andWAtoday'shere.