ABC NewsBy LIBBY CATHEY, ABC News
(WASHINGTON) — 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 refuses to concede the election.
Trump hasn’t held a public event in five days, hunkering down inside the White House instead and ceding the presidential leadership spotlight to the man he mocked.
The hard-fought battle between the two was set against the backdrop of racial unrest and the coronavirus pandemic and bitter divisions among the electorate.
Trump had falsely declared on election night, when he held a lead in several key states, that he won the contest and alleged without evidence, after the count started to swing the other way, that the election was being stolen from him and that fraud had been committed.
Now his legal team is waging battles in an effort to reverse the election results but have been unable to produce evidence so far of widespread fraud that would change the election.
The 2020 election has shattered voting records with votes totaling 150 million and counting, surpassing the 138 million who voted in 2016.
Here is how the transition is unfolding. All times Eastern:
Nov 10, 10:16 am
Trump plans to form PAC, hoping to retain future influence over GOP
In an apparent effort to retain future influence over the Republican Party, President Donald Trump is planning to form a leadership political action committee — an announcement that is expected as early as this week, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
The news comes as Trump has refused to concede the election and has privately told allies that he may run for president again in 2024, according to sources familiar with the discussions.
Communications director for the Trump campaign, Tim Murtaugh, said the idea of forming a PAC is nothing new.
“The president always planned to do this, win or lose,” Murtaugh said in a statement to ABC News. “So he can support candidates and issues he cares about, such as combating voter fraud.”
The news was first reported by the New York Times.
-ABC News’ Katherine Faulders, John Santucci and Will Steakin
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