President-elect Joe Biden is moving forward with transition plans, capping a tumultuous and tension-filled campaign during a historic pandemic against President Donald Trump, who still refuses to concede the election one week after Biden was projected as the winner of the presidential race.
Trump has largely hunkered down inside the White House since the election, but on Saturday his motorcade drove drove past supporters gathered to rally in Washington, D.C., on his way to play golf.
Biden, meanwhile, is pressing forward, meeting with transition advisers in Delaware and calling Trump's refusal to concede "an embarrassment."
The Biden transition team and the Trump administration are in a standoff over whether Biden should be granted access to federal resources allocated for the transition of power. The General Services Administration, headed by a Trump appointee, has yet to officially recognize Biden as the victor in the election, preventing Biden's team from gaining full access to government funds and security information.
But a growing number of Republican senators are calling on the administration to start giving Biden classified intelligence briefings, a sign that support for Trump's refusal to concede the election may be waning among his allies on Capitol Hill.
Here is how the transition is unfolding. All times Eastern.
Nov 11, 2020, 12:14 PM EST
Biden pens statement on Veterans Day with unity focus, Trump makes first public appearance since Biden projected winner
Ahead of a visit to the Philadelphia Korean War memorial at Penn's Landing Wednesday morning, Biden issued a lengthy statement on Veterans Day, pledging his commitment to the “sacred obligation” the country has to those who serve and their families.
While Biden’s go-to line on the trail was slamming Trump on his "suckers" and "losers" comments reported in The Atlantic, Biden focused his statement on unity, pledging to “never treat you or your families with anything less than the honor you deserve.”
President-elect Joe Biden and Jill Biden, attend a service at the Philadelphia Korean War Memorial at Penn's Landing on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2020, in Philadelphia.
Alex Brandon/AP
Trump, meanwhile, broke his five-day stretch of no public appearances when he ventured out of the White House to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. He also issued a proclamation in recognition of Veterans Day.
President Donald Trump turns away in the rain after laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider as he attends a Veterans Day observance in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Nov. 11, 2020.
Carlos Barria/Reuters
Nov 11, 2020, 11:08 AM EST
Georgia to conduct hand recount of presidential election votes
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced this morning Georgia will conduct a “full, by hand recount in each county” of the presidential race.
"With the margin being so close, it will require a full by hand recount in each county. This will help build confidence. It will be an audit, a recount and a recanvass all at once," Raffensperger said. "It will be a heavy lift, but we will work with the counties to get this done in time for our state certification."
The results of the audit will be certified by the state's certification deadline on Nov. 20, he said.
On Tuesday, the Trump campaign and Georgia Republican Party called for the hand recount before the results were certified. But as Biden currently leads in the state by about 14,000 votes, election experts say the odds of a recount changing the candidates' current standings are slim.
There have only been two statewide recounts in presidential elections over the last 20 years. The Florida recount in 2000 shifted the margin by 1,247 votes, and the 2016 recount in Wisconsin shifted the margin by 571 votes.
Nov 11, 2020, 9:48 AM EST
Dan Sullivan projected to win Alaska Senate race, giving GOP at least 50 seats
Based upon the analysis of the vote, ABC News projects Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska will win reelection to the Senate, defeating Democrat Al Gross.
Senator Dan Sullivan speaks during a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing on May 7, 2020 in Washington.
Pool/Getty Images, FILE
ABC News also projects Trump will win Alaska, raising his electoral vote standing from 214 to 217 votes.
With Sullivan's win, Mitch McConnell has 50 GOP Senate seats for the new Congress, meaning the best Democrats can hope for is a tied Senate -- where they would have control by virtue of a Vice President Kamala Harris casting tie-breaking votes, in her role as president of the Senate.
The only two outstanding Senate races are now in Georgia, where both Senate seats are headed toward runoffs Jan. 5 -- two days after the new Congress is sworn in.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell gives election remarks at the Omni Louisville Hotel on November 4, 2020 in Louisville, Ky. , Nov. 4, 2020.
Jon Cherry/Getty Images
Nov 11, 2020, 9:19 AM EST
Biden opts out of Trump’s dangerous post-election game
To rekindle an infamous discussion, taking Trump literally at this precarious moment means the president believes the election was rigged against him; that he believes he received more lawful votes than his opponent; that he believes the vote count in a series of battleground states is flawed and corrupt; and that there are election officials and state and federal judges that are ready to deliver him a second term.
But this election was not particularly close -- and, the above falsehoods notwithstanding, this period is exceedingly unlikely to end in any way other than with Biden being sworn in Jan. 20.
President-elect Joe Biden talks about protecting the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as he speaks to reporters with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris at this side about their "plan to expand affordable health care" during an appearance in Wilmington, Delaware, Nov. 10, 2020.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
While Biden may have more reason than most to be offended by the behavior of Trump and Republicans in his Cabinet and in Congress, he isn't sounding particularly concerned about the hold-up.
Asked by ABC News senior congressional correspondent Mary Bruce Tuesday for his message to Trump, Biden responded, "Mr. President, I look forward to speaking with you."
It's a revealing response -- not just because Biden and his team know the White House and transitions well. Biden is keeping his faith in the processes and systems that govern elections, in state capitals and in Washington.
Some Democrats may bristle at Biden's refusal to condemn Republicans who are backing Trump.
Ugly as this moment is, and awful as it may get, Biden's team sees this as the system holding its ground. Biden's faith in a sturdy middle drove his campaign from the start and looks like a defining feature of what will become his presidency.
