Trump reluctantly admits Biden 'won' but doubles down on fraud claim
Donald Trump appeared to say for the first time that president-elect Joe Biden had claimed victory in the US election on Sunday, saying his Democratic challenger had won “because the election was rigged.”
The full tweet read: “He won because the Election was Rigged. NO VOTE WATCHERS OR OBSERVERS allowed, vote tabulated by a Radical Left privately owned company, Dominion, with a bad reputation & bum equipment that couldn’t even qualify for Texas (which I won by a lot!), the Fake & Silent Media, & more!”
Twitter (TWTR) has flagged the post as containing disputed claims of election fraud.
Trump has refused to concede to Biden so far, despite major news organisations across the world calling the race in Biden’s favour.
He won because the Election was Rigged. NO VOTE WATCHERS OR OBSERVERS allowed, vote tabulated by a Radical Left privately owned company, Dominion, with a bad reputation & bum equipment that couldn’t even qualify for Texas (which I won by a lot!), the Fake & Silent Media, & more! https://t.co/Exb3C1mAPg
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 15, 2020
He later tweeted: “He only won in the eyes of the FAKE NEWS MEDIA. I concede NOTHING! We have a long way to go. This was a RIGGED ELECTION!”
Trump has launched legal proceedings, hoping to prove so far baseless claims of voter fraud he has been claiming since election day.
The result in Georgia is also subject to a recount, however is not expected change the result of a Biden win.
Biden is gearing up to be inaugurated the US’s 46th president on the 20 January, and has begun assembling his administration.
While stock market reactions have previously swung wildly in reaction to tweets by president Trump, moves have been more reactive to news on coronavirus development in the previous week. In the week ahead investors will be looking more to developments in COVID-19 cases and vaccine news than expecting any significant election developments.
World leaders have accepted a Biden win as the logical conclusion too, with many prominent figures, including former president George Bush, sending congratulations to the president-elect and his vice president Kamala Harris.
Watch: What does Joe Biden’s presidency mean for the global economy?