Trump news - live: Trump dodges pardoning question at Turkey event as Biden approved for official briefings

One of the more bizarre White House traditions, the annual Thanksgiving Turkey Pardon

(AP)

Donald Trump made two brief appearances in front of the press on Tuesday, ignoring shouted questions from reporters at both.

In the morning, he made visited the White House briefing room for a minute to claim credit for the Dow Jones Industrial Average breaking a record by crossing the 30,000 level for the first time — although this is attributed to the news that the transition to a Biden administration can proceed.

After lunch, he appeared at the annual National Thanksgiving Turkey Pardon. Accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump, he granted clemency to Corn, the turkey, and retreated back into the executive mansion as a reporter shouted out asking whether the president could pardon himself before leaving office.

Meanwhile, President-elect Joe Biden introduced his nominations for national security cabinet positions on stage in Wilmington, Delaware. Promising that “America is back”, he was joined by vice president-elect Kamala Harris, who said that they were creating a cabinet that looks like America and reflects the best of the nation.

Like the Dow, Mr Biden and Ms Harris broke their own record earlier in the day when the official tally of ballots in the presidential election took their total over 80 million votes — impressive given that no campaign had ever even crossed the 70 million vote threshold before.

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