As Trump keeps blocking Biden's transition, warnings of the damage it will do to the US are getting louder and more dire
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- Steadily more people are warning of the dangers presented by President Donald Trump's ongoing refusal to allow President-elect Biden's transition to proceed.
- Biden initially brushed off the risks of a delayed transition, but on Monday warned Trump bluntly that "people may die" if it is delayed further.
- Republicans, initially silent on the matter, have also started to warn of the damage Trump is causing.
- Barack and Michelle Obama — who gave a smooth transfer to the Trump administration — also intervened, and said that US democracy is on the line.
- A transition could still happen while respecting Trump's legal challenge to the outcome of the election, a select few Senate Republicans told Politico.
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President Donald Trump's continued refusal to let President-elect Joe Biden start his transition is prompting a growing chorus of alarm, including from Trump's own allies.
Since networks widely called the election for Biden on November 7, Trump has refused to concede and has begun multiple lawsuits contesting the results.
With this, he has refused to allow the General Services Administration (GSA) to authorize a presidential transition process, which releases funds, briefings and resources.
Initially, Biden attempted to downplay the significance of being denied a full transition. "We don't see anything that's slowing us down," he told reporters on November 10.
Trump's intransgience, he said, is "not of much consequence," albeit embarrassing for the nation.
One week later, Biden's tone changed dramatically. "People may die," he warned on November 16, arguing that it was vital he receive a smooth handover to maximize his chances against the raging COVID-19 pandemic.
Biden is not the only one. What began as a chorus of mostly Democrats and government ethics experts now includes:
- Former Trump Chief of staff John Kelly — who told Politico over the weekend that the delay "hurts our national security."
- Five Republican senators have urged Trump to let Biden receive classified briefings. James Lankford, a Republican senator from Oklahoma, said he would intervene to help make it happen.
- A bipartisan group of four Bush- and Obama-era former Homeland Security, who warned that "we do not have a single day to spare to begin the transition."
- Andy Card, once George W. Bush's chief of staff, gave interviews warning of the danger. He noted to CNBC that a shaky transition from the Clinton to Bush administrations may have worsened the response to 9/11.
- Dr Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious disease expert, who is averse to partisan politics, also pushed for a transition. "It's like passing the baton in a race," he told CNN. "You don't want to stop and then give it to somebody. You want to just essentially keep going."
- Trump's own National Security Advisor, Robert O'Brien, appeared to break ranks with others in the White House, speaking of a "a very professional transition" to Biden's team, though predicated on "if" their victory was confirmed.
- Barack and Michelle Obama — who oppose Trump but only occasionally speak out against him in public —both called for him to concede, urging him to "think beyond his own ego."
As time passes, the warnings seem set to become more urgent still.
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